Jon-David Headrick

The path from fried chicken and cornbread while growing up in Tennessee to importing French wines was not an obvious one. While working in restaurants during college, Jon-David developed an interest in French wine and growing regions. Upon graduation, he moved to Paris to work on an MBA, and took every opportunity he had to travel to wine country. It wasn’t long until it became clear that working with farmers made so much more sense than poring over spreadsheets, at least for him.  

Finding a job in the wine business was not easy work, but in 2001, Eric Solomon, one of American’s most talented wine importers, took a chance on a young man with little experience and made him his Director of Operations. Before long, Jon-David was the General Manager of European Cellars. After a few years of close work with Eric, Jon-David struck off on his own and created a portfolio of wines from the Loire Valley and Champagne, two regions with which he had long been intensely passionate. Perhaps it was destined from the start, but in 2013, the two portfolios came back together under the umbrella of European Cellars. 

Founded in 2005, Jon-David Headrick Selections was named “Best New Specialist Importer” by Wine & Spirits magazine as well as a “Wine Importer You Can Trust” by Slate magazine. Headrick’s work has been featured in French media outlets such as Radio France, La Nouvelle Republique, and TV Tours as well as American publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Food & Wine magazine, and many others. In 2010, the government of France announced that Jon-David Headrick would be appointed a Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Merite Agricole, one of the highest civilian awards given by the government of France. The rank of chevalier (knight) is a lifetime appointment and is given to acknowledge outstanding service to French agriculture.