meet the winemaker
A native of Scotland, Robin Akhurst has built an international winemaking career rooted in curiosity, craftsmanship, and a deep appreciation for terroir. Since arriving in Napa Valley in 2009, he has spent over a decade refining his skills across California’s diverse vineyard landscapes. Robin has led winemaking at Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine since the first release of the 2017 Blanc de Noirs, bringing his longstanding love of sparkling wine to life with a style that celebrates California and Napa Valley fruit through a traditional, hands-on approach.
Robin’s passion for wine began in Edinburgh, where he first worked as a sommelier. He later deepened his knowledge at one of London’s top independent wine merchants before pursuing a postgraduate degree in Viticulture and Enology from Lincoln University in New Zealand. From there, he embarked on a global winemaking journey, gaining hands-on experience in Languedoc, Marlborough, Burgundy, and Barossa Valley—each region helping shape his philosophy of balance, precision, and respect for
vineyard character.
In addition to his role at Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine, Robin is the Head Winemaker for Napa and Sonoma at Adair Family Wines. He also brings his creative vision to life through his own labels, Apsara Cellars and Library Collection Wines.
Outside the cellar, Robin is a dedicated endurance athlete who competes in Ironman triathlons around the world. He finds a shared rhythm between winemaking and racing—both disciplines fueled by patience, purpose, and perseverance. He lives in Napa with his wife Aneeta, their daughters Zahra and Sienna, and their Golden Retriever, Knox, whose charm and mischief keep life lively. Whether he’s playing guitar, riding California’s backroads on his motorcycle, or training for his next race, Robin brings
the same sense of focus and joy to every pursuit as he does to his wines.
Robin’s tenure in California has fostered an invaluable education in grape growing and winemaking, rooted in the search of balance and crafting wines that are true to the site, vineyard, and culture.
the pinot noir and chardonnay grapes for the napa valley blanc de noirs come from the historic mitsuko’s vineyard in carneros. the fruit for the california brut are grown in river junction by fifth-generation grape growers, who were awarded the california green medal for sustainable winegrowing.
illustration by: elaine chukan brown
in the vineyard
Mitsuko's Vineyard is 365 acres in the Los Carneros appellation within the Napa Valley. The rolling land of this vineyard has a broad range of soil types, elevations, slopes, and aspects, which create countless distinct microclimates. After careful study, eight different grape varieties were planted at this vineyard utilizing every bit of its diversity.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are commonly found in Los Carneros and are the keys to the region’s notoriety. In Mitsuko’s Vineyard these varieties have ideal cooling breezes blowing in from the San Pablo Bay, which create the slow, balanced growing season these varieties need to build complexity.
The vineyard takes its name from founder Jan Shrem’s late wife to whom he was truly devoted. Jan, owner of Napa Valley’s iconic winery Clos Pegase, gave Mitsuko the vineyard as a gift for Valentine's Day in the 1980s – one acre for every day of the year that he loved her.
the men of canaan
the symbol that marks every bottle of paula kornell sparkling wine – two men carrying an enormous grape cluster between them – is a nod to her father, hanns kornell. all hanns kornell “champagnes” carried the symbol of israelites carrying a grape cluster because for hanns, personally, california was his "promised land."
the story behind the symbol is a biblical tale from the book of numbers, verse 7 3. the israelites were searching for a new, promised land and longed for an end to their quest. the lord told moses that he should send men to search out the land of canaan, which he had given to the people of israel. so, moses organized a scouting party and as luck would have it, this was the time of year when grapes were beginning to ripen. two scouts, jehoshua and caleb, happened to wander into a beautiful valley and there by a brook they found an abundance of fruit and enormous grapevines bearing huge clusters of grapes. the pair cut a branch from a vine with a single cluster, which they slung on a pole between them and headed back for camp to show their people. one can only imagine the rejoicing when after having been gone 40 days jehoshua and caleb returned with reports from the land of milk and honey, and with a huge cluster of grapes to prove it. they named the valley eschol, which translates to "cluster," and it was decided that this was indeed the promised land.