about
Our goal at Selection Massale is to import the best natural wines, period. We do not work in every region or try to fulfill every need, but rather bring what we believe to be the most exciting, precise, well-made natural wines available. Our selections come from small wineries. Our vignerons work the land organically for the most part, biodynamically for some. All the wines are fermented naturally and made without cellar trickery or makeup. We favor clean, highly drinkable wines.
We want our wines to be the first bottles emptied at the dinner table, but the longest remembered.
THE TEAM
Nadim AudiPartner + National Sales
Nadim grew up between France and Lebanon and developed a taste for drinking Beaujolais at the cMairie in Paris instead of attending lectures at the nearby Sorbonne. He traded wine for journalism for a few years to cover the Middle East from Egypt, but it called him back when he moved to Chicago. He ran into Selection Massale in 2011 while trying to figure out a way to score some Lenoir Chinon in the U.S. After a few years of working retail in the city he is excited to share the wines with his fellow Chicagoans. He lives in Logan Square with his wife and three children. reach out via email here |
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James LevensGeneral Manager
James joined the team at Selection Massale as a 15 plus year veteran in the hospitality business. Originally from Georgia, he worked his way through restaurants in Charleston, Birmingham, and New York City’s own Gramercy Tavern. Sharing and tasting wines with some of the most talented sommeliers in the southeast and NYC, sparked a very intentional career change. The wines of the Loire Valley have always resonated with James, so working with the portfolio at
Selection Massale felt like a dream come true. As a member of the team, he is proud to be part of this journey, to see the growth of the company and is excited to see what the future holds. |
Jonathan GrayNational + Upstate NY Sales
Born and raised in a small town in Northeast Alabama, Jonathan got his start in restaurants at a local BBQ spot washing dishes. He grew up playing guitar in angry bands then majored in switching majors in college before dropping out to cook and serve in restaurants full time. At his first fine dining job, a tepid interest in wine turned obsessive after a taste of old Rioja. After moving to Birmingham, AL, Jonathan built displays of spoofy wine in grocery stores for a big distro by morning and waited tables at a restaurant with a deep list by night – it was there that he was lucky to taste many great wines from the Loire, Burgundy and Jura and really learned the ropes. Following a move to Louisiana in 2014 to help open a restaurant and build their wine program, Jonathan signed up for a New Orleans sales route in May 2015 with Selection Massale’s then brand-new distributor, Uncorked. Sales mingled with managing a few portfolios (of which SM was the first and personal favorite), and over the next few years he moved into portfolio management at Uncorked full time. In 2022, Jonathan happily joined the Selection Massale team and now lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Mandi and son Geordi. He loves cooking, reading philosophy, hillbilly activities, and is often jamming pre 9/11 country music. His DMs are open for regional fast-food recommendations. |
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