view the Instagram Live to Chat about Seasonal Sparkling Pairings
Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine is thrilled to announce the release of the 2019 Napa Valley Blanc de Noirs, an engaging and elegant wine borne of Paula’s sparkling roots. The Napa Valley-based producer of two sparkling wines, a Napa Valley Blanc de Noirs and California Brut, Paula debuted her namesake brand in 2017 in homage to her father, Hanns Kornell, who was among the first to employ Méthode Champenoise techniques in California.
For the 2019 Napa Valley Blanc de Noirs, her third release, Paula works with winemaker Robin Akhurst to source Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from the historic Mitsuko’s Vineyard in Carneros.
Highlighting sparkling wine’s superior ability to go with everything, Paula is also excited to share two new partnerships. The first, with Polanco Caviar of Uruguay, will showcase this classically decadent sparkling pairing, while fried chicken from Chef Dave Cruz’s Napa-based butchery, eatery and creamery Milestone Provisions is a rich reminder that bubbles go with comfort food, too.
The pairings will be further explored on two Instagram Lives @paulakornellsparkling – the first, November 15 at 3 p.m. PST, will feature Paula and Cruz talking about sparkling wine with fried chicken. The second, December 14 at 3 p.m. PST, will have Polanco Caviar co-owners Juan Diego Casaretto and Antonio Salto on hand to talk bubbles and caviar.
Paula is a renowned hostess who entertains far and wide, including at her home in St. Helena, which is lovingly known as Chateau Drool due to its colorful cast of canine characters, chickens, and peacocks. A firm believer in sparkling wine’s incomparable versatility and ability to be enjoyed during occasions big and small, Paula is overjoyed to be partnering with Polanco and Cruz.
“I come from a long line of food and wine aficionados in my family who loved to entertain,” says Paula. “I continue that tradition with my own sparkling wines and a keen interest in pairings of all kinds. Having the chance to enjoy my wines with a high-end pairing like caviar but also be able to show its excellence with fried chicken is a dream.”
Polanco Caviar is the only caviar spawned in the Southern Hemisphere. Its origins are a United Nations-certified sustainable sturgeon farm in Rio Negro, Uruguay. A premium high-quality caviar, Polanco is served in more than 30 countries in hotels, restaurants, and cruises, and by celebrity and Michelin-starred chefs.
Cruz opened Milestone Provisions in the Oxbow Public Market in Napa in 2021, in partnership with restaurateur Eric Lilavois and Five Dot Ranch. Cruz is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and James Beard award-winning cookbook author who was tapped by Chef Thomas Keller to be the opening chef at Ad Hoc, where he helped make fried chicken the star.
About Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine
Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine is the namesake brand of one of Napa Valley’s leading women in wine, who has lived and breathed this premier wine-growing region all her life. With two sparkling wines that draw on California’s past while attracting contemporary lovers of Champagne and bubbles in general, Paula builds on the legacy of her family’s winery, Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars, among the pioneers to use “Méthode Champenoise” in California. Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine is about crafting wines that are stylish, sophisticated, and engaging, and—importantly for Paula—food-friendly. Designed to be enjoyed with friends and family, raise a toast to California’s history and the rich pleasure of enjoying Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine. Visit www.paulakornell.com to learn more and follow along on Facebook and Instagram @paulakornellsparkling