"For Introducing 700 French Wines"… Lotte Department Store Buyer Junho Choi Awarded Jurade de Saint-Emilion Honor

Active as Wine Buyer Since 2021
Exclusive Launch of New Chateau Mont-Perat Editions in December

Lotte Department Store announced on the 6th that Junho Choi, a buyer from its Wine & Spirits team, was awarded the title of "Jurade de Saint-Emilion" last month in the Sainte-Emilion region of France. This marks the first time a Lotte Department Store liquor buyer has received the honor.

The "Jurade de Saint-Emilion" is a traditional wine brotherhood founded in 1199. Although it was abolished after the French Revolution, it was restored in 1948. Currently, more than 3,000 recipients around the world play a role in promoting the value and culture of Sainte-Emilion wines.

Lotte Department Store buyer Junho Choi received the knighthood of "Girard de Saint-Emilion" in Saint-Émilion, France. Lotte Department Store

Since 2021, Buyer Choi has worked as a wine buyer, taking part in projects such as establishing 'Elvino' wine specialty stores at the Incheon and Nowon branches. He has introduced about 700 types of French wines to Korea, and Lotte Department Store has sold approximately 800,000 bottles of French wine over the past five years.

In 2024, he planned "The V:lind," the first blind tasting competition in the major retail sector, and also participated in the "Art Special Edition" project, a collaboration with contemporary artists to create special wines.

Later in December, Lotte Department Store will be launching two wines curated exclusively by Buyer Choi in France — Chateau Mont-Perat Red and White — as an exclusive offering.

Junho Choi, buyer at Lotte Department Store's Wine & Spirits team, said, "I am honored to be recognized for my efforts in introducing the diverse charms of French wine to domestic customers and for helping more people experience quality wines. Moving forward, I will continue to discover and curate a variety of wines from France and around the world, consistently offering new wine and gourmet experiences to our customers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.