Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Winery · Sonoma County ·
Winery with pool, bocce, movie memorabilia & seasonal fare
Winery with pool, bocce, movie memorabilia & seasonal fare
"The iconic California wine estate is running its third annual “Perfect Your Pizza” competition, inviting home cooks to submit original pizza recipes and suggested Francis Coppola Diamond Collection wine pairings for a grand prize that includes an all‑expenses‑paid trip for two to Rome and Naples (winners can instead choose a $25,000 cash prize). Four finalists receive a fully comped trip to the winery in Sonoma County to compete in a live cook‑off on October 12 at the Geyserville winery estate, and the public event will allow attendees to watch contestants, taste the pizzas with the suggested pairings, and more (tickets go on sale September 9). Submissions open July 1 and must include ingredient lists, a full recipe, a story of inspiration, and a short video or photo (entries can also be submitted via Instagram with #CoppolaPerfectYourPizza24 and #21+); entrants must be 21 or older, legal U.S. residents, and submit by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31, 2024. Gabriela Becker described the contest as an effort to forge a stronger connection between pizza and wine, Dan Richer will again lead the judging, and last year’s winning entry was a Dungeness crab pizza with spinach, artichokes, and cream sauce (2023 finalists included an Italian beef pizza with giardiniera, a prosciutto-and-jalapeño pizza, and a three-cheese pie with pancetta and balsamic glaze)." - Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner
"I found that families are welcome, with reservations, to use the pool at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma, making it an easy, family-friendly stop beyond the tasting room." - Tanvi Chheda Tanvi Chheda Tanvi Chheda is a writer and family travel expert. Her work has appeared in Afar, Departures, Delta Sky,Virtuoso Life, Westways, The New York Times, Ciao Bambino, and Travel + Leisure, where she was formerly an assistant editor. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A reserve vineyard in Geyserville blends old‑world, hands‑on techniques with modern automation, as observed during a Dan Does visit. The EVP of production and chief winemaker, Corey Beck, points out cabernet sauvignon vines planted in the mid‑1980s, and a team of skilled pickers performs careful hand harvesting for the higher‑quality lots to minimize leaves and avoid disturbing sensitive branches. After most leaves are removed by hand, grapes go to a crusher designed to break skins without crushing seeds (preventing bitterness), then ferment for about two weeks in open‑air tanks that can hold up to 55 tons. Each tank is taste‑tested before transfer to toasted oak barrels for aging; a secondary (malolactic) fermentation converts malic acid to lactic acid, producing a creamier mouthfeel. The visit also shows the bottling line and the finishing touches—such as the signature gold netting used on the estate’s Claret bottlings—that complete the from‑vine‑to‑bottle process." - Terri Ciccone
"Sofia is a canned wine from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery of Geyserville, California, has been available in the U.S. since 2004, packaged in a little red can that’s now become something of a 21st-century design icon. Nearly 20 years later, drinking Sofia feels winkingly millennial-retro, fostering happy, hazy memories of Brooklyn brunches gone by, or whatever. The wine is a blend of pinot blanc, riesling, and muscat, and uses the “Blanc de Blanc” typically reserved for Champagne (whereas Sofia is a California girl). Not much has changed for the beloved Sofia can since the days of George W. Bush, although now it is available in a rosé variation, as well as in a handsome four-pack gift set with straws on the side, housed in a slim rectangular box that feels like something you’d buy at the dispensary. It’s refreshing and easy and great, dominated by linear mid-tone notes of raspberry leaf, yellow plum, wheat, lilikoʻi, and like a half a whiff of copper penny. It doesn’t taste like you snuck it into a screening of Marie Antoinette (2006), but it sort of feels like you snuck it into a screening of Marie Antoinette (2006), if that makes sense. Serve it at my wake." - Jordan Michelman
"Compared to the other wineries in the Napa Valley, Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville stands out like a carnival ride in the middle of an art museum. This place is big, and in addition to making wine, they also run this place like a resort with a gigantic pool and cabanas you can rent out for the day. The restaurant, Rustic, is also worth checking out, and serves everything from fantastic beef braciole to Marrakech lamb. After you’ve tasted all the wines, you can check out the room that’s full of props and cars from Coppola’s movies like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. If you’ve been looking at stemware all day, this can be a welcome break." - Will Kamensky
