Get your wine glasses ready as The Kings Of Napa is splashing on your television screens Tuesday, January 11th on the OWN Network. And trust us, you're going to want to see all the drama as episode one sets the tone for the whole season.
The show is centered on a gorgeous and picturesque Napa Valley, California vineyard owned by the Kings, an aspirational African American family whose wealth and status land them on the pages of design magazines and society pages. The wine business has brought the family success and acclaim, but following the patriarch’s sudden exit from the company, his three children must grapple for the reins to the kingdom — to their own power, wealth, and legacy.
The series features Ebonée Noel (“FBI,” “Wrecked”) who plays August King, the middle sibling and the family’s brilliant marketing whiz who’s passionate about wine and always looking for new ways to expand the business. Rance Nix (“Zero Issue,” “Amsterdam Ave”) plays Dana King, the older brother and the savvy CFO of the winery. Karen LeBlanc (“Ransom,” “Jack Ryan”) plays Vanessa King, the matriarch of the family who gave up her career to help run the winery in Napa with her husband Reginald King, played by Isiah Whitlock Jr. (“The Wire,” “Da 5 Bloods”). Yaani King Mondschein (“The Prince & Me,” “Saving Grace”) plays Bridgette Pierce, the cousin of the King siblings who works as the vineyard manager for House of Kings' wine. Ashlee Brian (“The Forty-Year-Old Version,” “Family Reunion”) plays Christian King, the youngest brother with swag who manages the winery’s bottling facility but knows little about growing grapes. And Devika Parikh (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Aquaman”) plays Melanie Pierce, August’s aunt who is now back in the States with a firestorm that threatens to change the King family forever.
Your Voice Media correspondent had a chance to chat with Noel and Whitfield about the show, how wine adds an extra touch to the scene, and why the show is important.
Cole: What’s something you learned about wine on the show that you didn’t know before?
Photo caption (L to R):
Ebonée Noel, Isaiah Whitlock Jr.,Yaani King Mondschein
Noel: I learned more about dessert wines due to the show. I didn't realize how much they complete a meal, how much producing it is to create a dessert wine - it's opened my palette in that respect.
Cole: One thing I’ve noticed in the show is the merge of culture and the importance of knowing and communicating with others through language. How important is merging different backgrounds to you on screen?
Whitlock: One of the exciting things about the show is we're able to show there is a merging of cultures - we always seem to home in on certain things sometimes. It's good to see that the show is exploring and offering that for the audience's appetite.
Cole: This is another great Black representation of Black luxury, and it joins the shows like Our Kind Of People. Why do you think shows like this matter?
Noel: It's important to see us as Black people in every level of society. We haven't gotten to see enough of us in this social class, but we don't get to see it - and that's how they trick us because if you don't see it, you don't think you can't obtain it. We need to get used to it so people can't challenge us as much. If that's what you want, you can get it - you belong there.
'The King's Of Napa' is set to premiere on OWN Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.