Wide-ranging advice from a winery CEO

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2019. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

Napa Valley

Emma Swain, CPA, has been the CEO of a vineyard and winery in California’s Napa Valley for ten years. In this podcast, she offers insights on social media, international travel, and why employees should own their mistakes. Also, you can read more of Swain’s thoughts on topics such as asking the right business questions.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • How St. Supéry is using a technology called optical sorting to improve wine quality (12:48).
  • The percentage of the winery’s power that is sourced by solar panels (17:56).
  • The approach St. Supéry takes regarding sustainability initiatives (19:29).
  • Wide-ranging advice for international travellers (23:36).
  • Why Swain gets up before 4am most days (25:21).
  • Swain’s approach to hiring (27:35).

Play the episode below:


To comment on this podcast or to suggest an idea for another podcast, contact Neil Amato, an FM magazine senior editor, at Neil.Amato@aicpa-cima.com.

Up Next

Overspending on AI is a concern for CFOs — but it’s not the only one

By Steph Brown
October 21, 2026
AI costs are exceeding budgeted amounts for many survey respondents, but finance leaders in the UK, US, France, and Germany remain confident in AI’s value.

Related Articles