더크래커 박지훈 기자

On April 10th at Tap Shop Bar in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Xavier Roger, CEO of Mission Sud Winery, sits down for an exclusive interview. Photo by= Jihoon Park, Reporter.

“We put time into every bottle of wine we make.”

For Xavier Roger, CEO of Mission Sud(미션서드) Winery, the real pride doesn’t lie in simply making wine. it’s in capturing and bottling time itself. To him, wine is far more than just alcohol. According to his philosophy, wine is the result of a deep, honest relationship between time, climate, land, and people.

The Tracker sat down for an exclusive interview with Xavier on April 10th at Tap Shop Bar in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul. Unlike the passive notion of aging, Xavier frames wine as a vessel for the aesthetics of time.

From vine to bottle, every step of the winemaking process is, to him, a collaboration with time. The longer the aging, the more the flavor and even the atmosphere of the wine transforms—something he describes as “magic.”

He’s a man who pours time into wine. Not content with simply boasting about old vintages, Xavier obsesses over how time can be woven into the fabric of winemaking itself.

Mission Sud’s roots trace back to the 17th century, with the Roger family playing a role in shaping 400 years of French wine heritage.

In 2011, Xavier branched off from the family estate to build his own winery. He likens the early days of Mission Sud to a startup rich in expertise but lacking capital. He worked dual jobs while cultivating vineyards himself in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region along the Mediterranean. The steep slopes and cultivation of then-uncommon varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah were seen as risky moves at the time.

But the outcome was a game-changer. His 50-50 Cabernet-Syrah blend became a symbol of premium French wine and played a pivotal role in globalizing French wine. His degree in Wine Engineering from the University of Montpellier became a powerful launchpad for the business.

Mission Sud’s flagship wines Cabernet Syrah and Pinot Noir reflect his entire philosophy. Known for their exceptional value, they’ve even earned the nickname “affordable Romanée-Conti.” These wines are now used for celebrations like France’s 200th Solo Escape Festival and are the top-ranked wedding wines in Korea an unrivaled accomplishment for a single wine line.

Awards include ▲Gold Medal at the 2010 Berliner Wine Trophy ▲Silver at the 2013 Großer Internationaler Weinpreis ▲Silver at Germany’s 2013 Mundus Vini ▲Grand Prize at the 2017 VIP ASIA Awards.

Early on, Mission Sud adopted a dual strategy of premium positioning and local adaptation. The saying “You may not know wine, but you’ve seen Mission Sud at a wedding” isn’t an exaggeration.

The brand proved that premium wines with aging potential could meet mass-market demands. As blind tastings consistently favored aged vintages, consumer trust naturally followed. Recently, the winery launched Mission Sud Chardonnay—grown under sea breezes—marking its entry into the premium white wine market.

Now, Xavier has expanded his role to include climate and market adaptation, becoming a full-fledged technical director. “Climate is every winery’s biggest risk,” he notes. “In France—exposed to maritime, continental, and Mediterranean climates the weather shifts year to year, and every harvest feels like a battle.”

In response, Mission Sud introduced a dry farming approach deliberately limiting irrigation to boost grape resilience and quality. This traditional method, widely used globally before the rise of irrigation in the 1970s, is now key to their sustainability efforts.

Korea is a strategic hub for Mission Sud. Since entering the market in 2013, the winery has never switched local importers sticking with “Easy Wine” for over 12 years. A rare feat globally. “Good partnerships, like good wine, take time,” Xavier says. “Without deep trust, sustainability is just a buzzword.”

Xavier and Easy Wine(이지와인) CEO Seokwoo Kim(김석우) both launched their ventures around the same time and now share not just a business relationship, but a genuine friendship. “There were plenty of other options, but we never wavered—because our philosophies aligned.”

Looking ahead, Mission Sud’s strategy is simple: climate adaptation and reinterpreting the classics. The winery continues to invest in traditional grape varietals while experimenting with new terroirs. “Without sustainability and quality, there is no future,” Xavier says. “The world is changing, and wineries have to evolve with it.”

Xavier is now stepping beyond French wine to position himself as a true global winemaker. And his guiding principle is surprisingly simple: “Wine is the result of relationships. Between land and climate, people and time, and even between the market and the bottle. How honestly we manage those relationships defines the quality of our wine.”