Francis Ford Coppola fuses wine, art, and adventure in his winery.
Who knew that cabanas and cabernets, bubbles and bocce, or terroir and trivia would completely complement each other? Only visionary director, producer, and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola, who tied all of the above together in his flagship family winery, the eponymously named Francis Ford Coppola Winery.
It’s been said that Francis’ grandfather Agostino Coppola experimented with winemaking in the basement of his New York apartment building in the 1920s, but the Hollywood legend not only invested in the business of winemaking, he also catapulted the wine experience to another level.
Where movies and wine intersect
Fresh off the heels of his success with The Godfather, which won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1973, and directing its sequel in 1974, winning him the coveted titles of Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture in 1975, Francis and his wife Eleanor decided to purchase the Niebaum Estate in Rutherford, Napa Valley.
He filed for a winery license in 1978 and in 1979, the Niebaum-Coppola winery brand was born, which is now known as Inglenook. Apocalypse Now was released the same year, winning Coppola the Best Director Award in 1980. This year marks the 45th anniversary of this cinematic masterpiece about the Vietnam War.
In 2006, the Coppolas purchased the historic Château Souverain estate in Sonoma County to produce their Diamond Collection and Rosso & Bianco wine brands. It is here they built the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, which opened its doors to the public in 2010, and the wine brand was later launched in 2012.
When one visits wine country, good food, excellent wine, and wine tours are to be expected, and Sonoma County offers an incredible getaway sans the Napa Valley crowds. Adjacent to the Russian River and overlooking Alexander Valley, at first glance the sprawling winery appears typical to what one would expect in a winery.
A vineyard-lined driveway leads to the parking lot and entrance, but this is where similarities to your usual winery end. Behind a green metal gate is a clocktower and perched above is an American flag waving in the breeze, which quite reminds me of the entrance to, dare I say it? Disneyland.
Francis admits the architecture here—like most modern amusement parks—was inspired by the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Another similarity to the happiest place on Earth? It’s meant to be a fun experience for the whole family, not just oenophiles, which is a little ironic being you need to be 21+ to enjoy most wineries.
“When we began to develop the idea for this winery, we thought it should be like a resort, basically a wine wonderland…a place to celebrate the love of life,” says Francis in the winery’s website. There’s a check-in counter promising Wine, Food, and Adventure. Boasting not just one but two pools with spouting fountains, adults and children alike can enjoy the day, lounging under colorful umbrellas and cooling off with a swim, by reserving a private cabin for up to 4 guests online. Guests can also sign up for a leisure game of bocce ball, with or without a glass of vino in hand. There are painting classes you can take upstairs, should you be so moved to wield a brush.
Last but not the least, we have to talk about the extensive movie memorabilia on display from Francis’ personal archives outlining his amazing career. All guests young and old will marvel at the walls of framed movie posters, costumes used in Bram Stoker’s Dracula from 1992, a ship used in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, the vintage 1948 Tucker Torpedo from the movie Tucker, which revolves on a raised dais, and the iconic desk of the Godfather, which was unfortunately on loan to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Each year, I eagerly anticipate the Academy Awards, and it was fascinating to see the actual Oscars, the Palme D’Or, and other iconic awards the talented director won for his work on The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and several other films. He even kept the envelope and card which won him Best Director for a Motion Picture for The Godfather II, besting Roman Polanski for Chinatown and Bob Fosse for Lenny. Here he revealed the storyboards and photos from his upcoming sci-fi drama Megalopolis, due to be released this year about an architect who has been asked to rebuild New York City after a colossal disaster nearly destroys it.
Like many good adventures, this one ends in the gift shop. Visitors who would like to take home a souvenir from their winery experience can purchase more than wine, food, and kitchenware. There are numerous assorted gift items inspired not only by Francis’ films but his daughter Sofia’s as well, from hats and bags, scarves and cookbooks, and fun items related to movie history and trivia in general.
Food and wine
Guests looking for a destination meal will enjoy Rustic, the winery’s full service restaurant, with a choice of eating outdoors on the terrace or inside with air-conditioning—Sonoma Valley is known to reach triple digit temperatures in high summer. The menu has a tight selection of Francis’ favorite dishes—both international and traditional Italian fare.
My companions enjoyed the wood-grilled Bistecca Fiorentina paired with fresh asparagus and Mama’s Spaghetti and Meatballs, which is only served on Sundays, but I opted for Rustic’s two course tasting menu, of a light cheese-filled tortellini followed by a grilled tenderloin. Unpretentious and delicious, the food is cooked family style and features seasonal ingredients sourced from the property’s organic produce garden.
There is an extensive portfolio of wine from the Coppola vineyards on hand. Our group savored a bottle of the Archimedes 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, aged one and a half years in French oak caskets and boasting velvety notes of mocha and tobacco.
Those interested in wine tastings would be happy to know a reservation is not needed for the Main Bar, but they are for terrace seatings and other wine experiences. Visitors can also sign up for a guided tour of the property and bottling line. Over 40 wines are produced onsite, all certified sustainable since 2012 by the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance (CSWA). Francis Ford Coppola Winery aims to reduce energy consumption (36% comes from renewable sources), conserve water resources, increase biodiversity including soil health, and pays more for sustainably-certified grapes from over 150 grape growers in the area.
Though the Francis Ford Coppola Winery is no longer owned by the Coppolas, having been purchased by Delicato Family Wines in 2021, Francis continues to sit on the board of directors at Delicato and is still invested in his premium wine making business at Inglenook.
Close to Healdsburg—the charming town you really need to visit with its art galleries, shops, and wine rooms—and family-friendly, too, this Coppola brainchild is proof that wine country is constantly evolving to create something special for everyone and wineries do not just have to be for those who love wine.
