The partners of Parallel Napa Valley are pleased to announce the promotion of food, wine and hospitality industry veteran Adrienne D. Capps to the position of General Manager for the brand. Capps joined Parallel last June as Director of Hospitality & Marketing. 2019 marks Parallel’s 20th anniversary, and the partners had been seeking a savvy GM to focus on this important year, as well as the next stage of growth.
With an MBA in Finance as well as an Associates Degree from the Culinary Institute of America-Greystone in Napa Valley (where she earned the second highest GPA, two graduation awards and three scholarships to boot!), Capps brings to Parallel a sound business mind and a savvy knack for wine hospitality. For the last 20+ years, she has held progressive leadership roles in nonprofit advancement, marketing and communications, while building her own brand as a successful food blogger, writer, recipe developer and educator with local, regional and national exposure. In 2015, she founded Capps Consulting in order to work with start-up food, wine and hospitality clients on recipe development, hospitality platform creation, chef consulting, as well as start-up fundraising and recruitment.
Capps has also served as Vice President of Development for Napa Valley Community Foundation, where she assisted in collecting more than $18M for the Napa Fire Complex in 2017, and Assistant Dean for Development & External Relations at the UC Davis School of Education, proving adept at strategic leadership and fundraising.
In her new capacity, as General Manager at Parallel, Capps will run the day-to-day Napa Valley operations at the stylish, appointment-only tasting room in Brasswood, just a few miles north of St. Helena. Using her CIA training, Capps has developed a sophisticated new food pairings tasting menu, which can be booked for daytime tastings, lunches, and receptions, though the beautiful new facility will also enable her to host private dinners – even weddings – in the Brasswood Restaurant or a private room. She will work closely with internationally renowned Winemaker Philippe Melka (who has been with Parallel since its inception 20 years ago) in order to best translate and promote his inimitable style to a new generation of Parallel devotees.
Capps will also be taking Parallel Wines on the road fairly often, working with top chefs to create thoughtful pairings for the wines (she just returned from beautiful series of dinner events that included venues as revered as New York City’s Lincoln Center and Baltusrol Country Club in New Jersey). She is looking forward to upping the ante on creative events through which to showcase Parallel wines, both in and out of Napa Valley.
Upcoming events and important dates include:
- Feb 12 & 13: Jackson, WY for a tasting with the Teton Pines’ Members as well as market visits
- Feb 14 & 15: Bottling 2016 Russian River Chardonnay and 2016 Parallel Napa Valley Cabernet
- Feb 16: Tahoe, CA Kirkwood Community Association Tasting
- Feb 22: Napa Valley, CA Atelier Melka, Brasswood
- Feb 23, Mar 23, Apr 13: Napa Valley, CA (Lodi Lane) Wine Country Inn Tastings
- Feb 25: 2015 Black Diamond Reserve Cabernet “Reward” Wine Club Shipment & Release: 94+ Wine Advocate
- Mar 7-9: Park City, UT Red, White & Snow – info about Vintner Dinner here
- Mar 11-20: East Coast Tour, including NYC, NJ, PA and VT ski resorts as well as:
- Mar 14: Phila., PA VIP Reception for Philadelphia Youth Basketball at the hottest new social club in Phila., The Fitler Club
- Mar 18: Phila., PA Silicon Valley Bank, Office/Client Tasting
- May 4: Napa Valley, CA Parallel’s Spring “Bud Break” Party, Brasswood
Of Capps’ appointment, Park City, Utah based Managing Partner Mac MacQuoid states, “Adrienne’s holistic business sense, encompassing both traditional and new approaches to sales and marketing, as well as strong accountability for P & L, offered Parallel Napa Valley the chance to enter into our second decade with an informed strategic approach to a continuously evolving marketplace.”
Capps says, “I’m ecstatic to work with Parallel in this exciting new role. Since day one, my partnership with the team has really clicked – and I am looking forward to having fun building on their years of success with them, as well as with one of the most important winemakers I’ve ever had the honor to meet, let alone work with.”
About Parallel Napa Valley
Parallel Napa Valley is an artisan winery that produces top quality Napa Valley designated Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines, created by Philippe Melka, well regarded by leading critics as one of the pre-eminent wine consultants in the U.S. and beyond. The winery was established originally as a partnership in 1999 by six close friends who felt the concept of their dream represented their parallel lives in Deer Valley (in Park City, Utah) where they are originally from, and Napa Valley, their second home. The Parallel Napa Valley label captures the essence of the lines carved by skis on the first run of the day, and Parallel names its limited production, select barrel wines – known as the Black Diamond Series – after great ski runs around the country. In addition to making a great wine, the partners of Parallel Napa Valley are dedicated philanthropists and have made it a priority to extend their wine and its success to support their communities and various charities.
Charles Communications Associates, a leading marketer of fine wine brands and regions, is proud to have represented Parallel Napa Valley since the founding of the brand. For media inquiries, images and interviews, please contact Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications Associates at 415.701.9463 or press@charlescomm.com.
