About ME
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Emilia Alvarez earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University, where she honed her skills as a writer and storyteller. She began her career at Sotheby’s New York in the Impressionist & Modern Art department, where she contributed to all stages of the auction process—from administration and logistics to cataloging, marketing, and client relations for marquee and online sales. This role refined her ability to craft compelling narratives around some of the world’s most significant works of art, driving the success of multi-million-dollar auctions.
Emilia’s transition to the wine industry was a natural evolution, shaped by her early exposure to food, drink, and travel through her family’s century-old food and beverage distribution business. A “Wine Essentials” course at the Institute of Culinary Education ignited her passion and inspired her new career. She began in sales, marketing, and buying for a fine wine retailer in Manhattan, where she excelled at connecting with customers, expanding the store’s wine portfolio and managing marketing and sales projects. Emilia later deepened her expertise in digital strategy and data curation while working with a wine and spirits software company specializing in Artificial Intelligence preference recognition.
In 2022, Emilia moved to Bordeaux, immersing herself in one of the world’s most iconic wine regions. As interim USA Marketing Manager at Millésima, a négociant and global fine wine retailer, she managed a wide range of responsibilities, including digital and print strategy, budgeting, e-commerce activity, and store activations and events. During her time in Bordeaux, Emilia gained firsthand experience with the Place de Bordeaux’s commercial infrastructure, built strong relationships within its distribution systems, and deepened her knowledge of the region’s wines through frequent visits and tastings with its legendary châteaux.
Emilia holds the WSET Diploma with Merit and is a proud recipient of the Women of the Vine & Spirits “Fuel Your Dreams” Scholarship. As a marketing and media relations specialist, she is dedicated to blending strategic thinking, creativity, and her extensive wine knowledge to help businesses in all sectors of the trade achieve their media and sales goals. Also fluent in Spanish and French, her multicultural background enables her to connect effortlessly with diverse audiences through wine tastings, dinners, corporate events, and media campaigns.
As a proud member of the Hispanics in Wine community, Emilia advocates for greater representation in the wine industry. Outside of her wine endeavors, she enjoys exploring art museums, running along scenic routes, planning trips with friends (where a tasting room usually ends up on the itinerary), and relaxing at the beach.
Photo Credit: Mike Golembo
about hispanics in wine
Hispanics in Wine™ is a social space dedicated to showcasing Hispanic / LatinX roots in the beverage and hospitality industries. Whether it's a producer, sommelier, retail store, restaurant, or vineyard steward, we are committed to supporting the great work and business ventures our communities are doing within the industry.
Through this initiative, we are strongly committed to giving back to our Spanish-speaking communities by promoting equality, diversity and helping the new generation of Hispanic & LatinX professionals advance in the wine industry. On our "Hispanics in Wine Spotlight Series," we feature talented individuals from the community and learn about their wine industry journey, essential advice to the next generation, what changes they want to see in the industry, and more.
Representation matters, and we hope to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to pursue their dream career path in the industry through our organization.