“He just wants to make sure the company is well positioned down the road,” Beck said.
#COPPOLA WINE LABELS MOVIE#
Coppola's two children, Roman and Sofia, have successful careers in the movie business and are seen as likely to be less hands-on with wine than their father. The company pioneered canned wine in 2004 with Sofia, a brand of sparkling wine in a 187-milliliter can named for Coppola’s daughter.Ĭoppola had been approached in recent years about the future of his winery and whether he would want to sell it, said Corey Beck, chief executive of the winery operations. The wine business grew in the premium market through its popular Diamond label. Outside the food and wine, the estate became a tourist draw featuring Coppola’s movie memorabilia, including the car from “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” and a whole wall dedicated to “Apocalypse Now.” Its Olympic-sized swimming pool and lounge areas became a must-visit a place in the summer. He put in place the popular Rustic, a full-service restaurant that features traditional Italian dishes. The distinctive French chateau-style winery that was built in 1972 gave Coppola a home base to expand his portfolio, along with the 25 acres of vineyards and a restaurant, tasting room and packaging facility. Coppola would later buy the rest of Inglenook estate and winery in 1995 and in 2011 he bought the Inglenook trademark from the Wine Group.Ĭoppola continued to grow his wine business with its Diamond label and Rosso and Bianco brands and made his biggest splash in 2006 when he purchased the Chateau Souverain Winery just west of Highway 101 in Geyserville from Foster’s Corp. The sale culminates a less heralded but storied career in the wine industry for Coppola that started when he bought the Gustave Niebaum vineyard in Napa County in 1975, coming off the success of “The Godfather” and “Godfather Part II.” The 1,560 acres were part of the historic Inglenook winery estate. We all know Francis and the team are big into that.” “There’s also their impact on food and wine.
Their impact on tourism has been large with people coming to visit,” said Michael Haney, executive director of the Sonoma County Vintners trade group. “Their (the family’s) impact on the Sonoma County wine brand has been immense because of their exposure all over the nation and world. Coppola employs 380 workers, while Delicato has a workforce of about 800.Ĭoppola and his wife, Eleanor, will still retain his Inglenook estate in Napa County and Domaine de Broglie winery in Oregon.Ĭoppola’s impact on Sonoma County extends beyond his wines, with the Geyserville winery and its signature pool and collection of movie memorabilia serving to draw in tourists as well as locals. There was no comment Wednesday on the possibility of job loss or consolidation as the companies merge assets.
The deal is expected to close within a month, subject to regulatory approval. “Delicato is also family-owned and shares similar core values as both companies are anchored by long-term sustainable focus and a foundation built on family values: integrity, respect, quality, accountability, partnership, excellence, and community.”įinancial terms of the deal, which bolsters the portfolio of one of the top 10 suppliers of wine in the US, were not disclosed.Ī wine industry analyst who asked not to be named placed the deal at less than $1 billion but added that it would be hard to put a good estimate on the value of the transaction without knowing more about the equity stake Coppola received from privately held Delicato, noting it was an unusual arrangement. “I have found the perfect fit to take our family winery to even greater heights,” Coppola, 82, said in a statement. Coppola, the Academy Award-winning director of “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” will receive an equity stake in Delicato and join the company’s board of directors as part of the deal. The Coppola wine portfolio and its two facilities in Sonoma County, the Coppola winery and the Virginia Dare Winery, along with its Archimedes Vineyard, will join Delicato’s portfolio. Francis Ford Coppola Winery of Geyserville, one of Sonoma County’s most popular tourist destinations that’s known for its innovative premium wines and famous founder, has been sold to Napa-based Delicato Family Wines.
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