California Winery Becomes Even Fancier After Sale To Chanel
California's St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery is about to get even fancier, because the Napa Valley winery has just announced that it has been sold to French luxury fashion brand Chanel.
While Chanel is known primarily for high-end perfumes, $25 nail polish, quilted handbags that cost thousands of dollars, and the snarky bons mots of head designer Karl Lagerfeld, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the brand is already in the wine business and owns two vineyards in France. In 1994 Chanel purchased a chateau in Bordeaux, and in 1996 it acquired another one in St.-Emillon. St. Supéry will be the French fashion house's first foray into American winemaking.
"It's pretty darn exciting," said winery chief executive Emma Swain. "We're tickled pink to have a team that understands quality and is investing for the long term."
Swain says that Chanel is reportedly not planning on making any changes to the winery's staffing or operations.
"My goal is always to improve the quality of the winemaking, of course," she said. "It's still our same team, same philosophy, same vineyards."