Emma Swain and Jaime Araujo Join DC Women of Wine at Bottles Wine Garden

Open to just twenty-five wine industry members, DC Women of Wine (WOW) and Napa Valley Vintners invite you to an intimate conversation about navigating a career in wine. WOW President Niki Lang will host Emma Swain, CEO of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery and Jaime Araujo, Founder of Trois Noix to talk about the unique challenges - and opportunities - for women in the wine industry today.

Emma Swain

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery C.E.O. Emma Swain has more than 20 years of experience in the wine industry. She says, “My world has always been one of continuous improvement. In wineries, I believe being estate grown is the only way to achieve this. From the soil to the supper table, we can raise the bar, never resting on our laurels.” Emma looks at accolades and achievements as starting points for further progress saying, “I am always looking ahead. People may say I love change, but really I am just very open to moving every aspect of our business forward. I think anyone can make good wine in Napa; we want to make fantastic wine. Every time you enjoy a St. Supéry Estate wine, I want you to have a ‘Wow’ experience. That requires a continual, sharp focus on what we are doing and how we can do it better.”

Emma received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis. She started in finance, becoming a certified public accountant before joining Niebaum-Coppola Winery, working with the team to reunify the historic Inglenook properties. She then worked at Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery for thirteen years, as Chief Operating Officer helping reposition the fourth-generation family winery from its high-volume table wine to one of a respected high quality producer.

When Emma joined St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery and became C.E.O. in 2009, she was impressed with the strengths of the people, the matchless property and the rich history of the estate. The estate was founded with a strong sense of passion, unyielding integrity and long-term dedication to winemaking and viticulture, all qualities she holds dear.

During her tenure with St. Supéry, the winery has undergone a transformation in quality with extensive investments in the vineyard, winery and technology. The quality of the wines has never been better, which is reflected through highly acclaimed accolades including Robert Parker, Jr.’s comments praising the winery for “dramatically raising the quality level of their offerings.” This uncompromised commitment to quality is also seen through significant renovations of the Rutherford Estate property and grounds, including the historic 1882 Atkinson House, further enhancing the visitor experience.

Jaime Araujo

Jaime Araujo is the Founder and Director of Communications Strategy for Trois Noix Winery. Jaime’s family has been making world-class wines in Napa Valley for over 25 years and for most of those years, Jaime was actually living abroad in Europe (if you want to know all the juicy details, make sure to ask her when you meet!)

Upon returning to Napa Valley to become a vintner, Jaime wanted to create a wine that would reflect her personal journey, and what she loved most about wine: the people and the sense of community. The name “Trois Noix,” which means “Three Nuts,” is an homage to our founder’s love of France and her commitment to using wine as a catalyst for social change.