Erin Sullivan certainly covered some ground on her way to Napa Valley. Sullivan was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. After college, she lived and worked in New York City for five years.

“Waiting tables in New York, while looking for a ‘real job,’ I realized that tasting and sharing and learning about great wine is an awfully great and a very real job.” Gaining experience as a sommelier, she moved to Napa Valley. Sullivan worked as the wine director at Press Restaurant before she joined Acme Fine Wines in St. Helena as general manager.

“We are a retail wine business that specializes in small production, hard-to-find wines in the Napa Valley and beyond,” said Sullivan.

“In a sense, we become personal wine shoppers for people as we get to know them. We have a great track record of introducing our clients to the next great thing.”

Which three people would you most like to have dinner with? (French filmmaker) Jacques Tati, (singer) Nina Simone and (Project Runway host) Tim Gunn.

Whom do you most admire in the business world? Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin’s character on NBC’s 30 Rock).

How has the recession impacted your business? Fortunately, our clientele is pretty dialed in and committed to a lifestyle where they enjoy wine. People are still buying wine, which makes us happy, but we also have to get better at being salespeople.  

What kind of trends are you seeing in wine? We love seeing people get exited about different varietals.  We’ve seen over the past two years local winemakers and vintners asking for grenache, grenache, grenache. Consumers are now coming to us looking for great grenache. That’s a fun shift. It’s nice to see a new varietal catching the spotlight.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you haven’t yet? Learn how to play bridge. There’s time, I think.



If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?  We’d love to find a way to safely ship wine all year long. 

What’s something people might be surprised to know about you? I do not like cilantro. 

What was your childhood ambition? To own a pink VW Beetle convertible.

What’s one thing Napa could do to help local business? Foster an efficient and affordable taxi industry. Locals and visitors alike need a safe and practical way to enjoy our wineries and restaurants from Calistoga to Napa. 

What other business persons would you like to see featured in “10 Questions?”Helen Jane Hearn, Maplevine design consultants. Natalie Wassum, Canopy Management.

Extra online-only questions

What’s the worst job you ever had? Telemarketer, selling coupon books to the good people of Anchorage. Sorry, Anchorage.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? With my family.

I can’t live without: Post-its.

What’s your favorite gift to give? Flowers.

What’s the most significant project you’ve been involved with in your career? Being a judge for the Taste Network’s Cochon 555 Pig Competition at the Silverado Resort.  Food and wine are the stuff of life, and that day it all came together.



What is the biggest challenge your business has faced? It seems like every day there are new, artisan wines and wine brands on the market, and the challenge is finding the right wine for the right consumer.

What job would you like to try/not like to try? Try: Geologist. Not try: Clown.

What was your first job? Housekeeper at a family friend’s B&B in Anchorage. Learning how to properly fold fitted sheets was an accomplishment.

What is your favorite charity? Charity: water. A couple of my friends work there, and it’s a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. One hundred percent of public donations directly fund water projects.

What’s on your to-do list? Today: write wine club newsletters, call clients about a new, first-release cabernet, visit a winery, make snacks to bring to Bocce League night at Crane Park, win all three games.

Each Wednesday, the Napa Valley Register’s Business Focus asks “10 Questions” of a local entrepreneur or businessperson. Readers are welcome to suggest business people to be profiled. To suggest a candidate for “10 Questions” e-mail: jhuffman@napanews.com