By Jim Boyce | Julien Reversat spent seven years in China with importer and distributor Mercuris, including as senior sales manager, before returning to France last year. Now he is ready to bring back to China a diverse range of his homeland’s wines via a new venture called JR Diffusion.
“I started my own wine agency in the south of France which acts as a wine distributor here for on trade,” said Reversat in an email “At the same time, I am representing the portfolio in Asia but with a big focus in China.”
“Most of my vignerons are small and produce wines traditionally by respecting nature, with no extra and chemical inputs in the vineyard and / or during winemaking,” he added.
Reversat counts some 20 makers from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Corsica, Languedoc and elsewhere, including Domaine des Beaumont, Domaine Didier Montchovet, Chateau Cassini, Domaine Vico, Clos des Boutes and Domaine Saint-Just.
“These wine makers have the luxury to craft quality because they don’t cater to mass-market demands,” reads the company’s catalog. “And when you want to reach them, only independent wine merchants will roll up their sleeves to find them for you.”
“From sustainable practices to humble farmers that follow early monks’ practices, we work with vine growers that have dedicated their life to creating masterpieces,” it continues.
Reversat, who has has a bachelor’s degrees in wine business and two master degrees, all earned in Montpelier, also spent time making wine at Silver Heights in Ningxia and Loulan in Xinjiang. He is the process of creating his own label in France.
“As I have always wanted to make my own wines, I am developing with a friend a small clos [vineyard] of about two hectares in the Guarriges [scrubland],” he says. “The soil is poor and stony. We will try to make something good!”
You can see the JR Diffusion catalog here.
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