Yeo Xi Yang, founder of champagne bar Convivial, celebrates Christmas with lots of bubbly and food

Sommelier Yeo Xi Yang is the founder of Singapore’s first dedicated champagne bar, Convivial, so it’s unsurprising that one of his most vivid memories of Christmas involved magnums of Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2002,” he adds. 

That celebratory moment was at a staff party on Christmas 2016 during his stint as a sommelier at Les Amis. “I don’t really have very many Christmas memories,” he admits sheepishly. “Because I’m usually at work.”  

Growing up, one of his most vivid festive memories was Christmas Eve dinners. Just before midnight, full of holiday cheer, he and his family pile into the car to head for a countdown party at another family friend’s home.

“Auntie Richeal always cooks up a storm; she’s an amazing chef. Her dry laksa and devil curry are awesome! And there’s always plenty of champagne. Her husband (Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan’s dad) is an avid collector and very generous with sharing — double magnums would come out, and the champagne always flowed.”

Convivial celebrated its first anniversary in September with an exclusive bottling, not many bars can boast of — a limited-edition Champagne Henri Giraud specially engraved with the local bar’s logo. “The anniversary party, undoubtedly, was my proudest professional moment. It blew my mind how many people came. I’m worried about next year,” he grins. “For a shop like ours to open more than 150 bottles in a single night, it’s cool.” 

What’s next for Yeo in 2025? “We aim to deepen connections with champagne producers and key industry figures such as Peter Crawford (co-founder of grower champagne-championing organisation Sip Champagnes in the UK), who’s thinking of setting up shop in Singapore,” he says. 

Yeo and his team also hope to graduate from the Champagne Masters course, a prestigious qualification offered by the Wine Scholar Guild, with fewer than 300 graduates worldwide.