Jennifer Williams

Winemaker, Arrow&Branch

One of the rising stars of Napa Valley winemaking, Jennifer Williams, was named Winemaker for Arrow&Branch in April 2011. Jennifer takes the reigns at Arrow&Branch. After years of working with and learning from legendary winemakers such as Rosemary Cakebread, Francoise Peschon and the Novak family, Jennifer now brings her outstanding talents and experience to Arrow&Branch.

In 2002, Williams joined Araujo and Spottswoode as a harvest intern, splitting her time between these two great winemaking estates. At Spottswoode, Jennifer was drawn to the philosophy of organic and sustainable farming, which Tony Soter had introduced in 1985. Following harvest, she joined their team full time, working under guru David Abreu in the fields and Rosemary Cakebread in the winery. In 2004, with a deeper understanding of the estate vineyard, she took over as Vineyard Manager and was Spottswoode's Winemaker from 2006 to 2011.

Country born: United States

Education: She attended California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, set on becoming a large-animal veterinarian. However, through her course work, botany and grape growing caught her attention and in the summer of 1995, she came to the Napa Valley to study viticulture from local growers. Inspired by this experience and having earned a degree in agriculture, she worked in vineyards and wineries in California's Central Coast then took an enologist job at Napa's Trefethen Family Vineyards; later working harvest in Spain's Rioja Alavesa region.

Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years

Honors / Awards:
The San Francisco Chronicle named Jennifer a "Winemaker to Watch" in 2007.

Winemaking Philosophy:
At Spottswoode as at Arrow&Branch, Jennifer was drawn to the philosophy of organic and sustainable farming, which Tony Soter had introduced in 1985.