In 1995 when Francis and Eleanor Coppola purchased the Napa Valley acreage adjacent to their property, the land that had been the Inglenook Estate, they began to envision the development of a winery that would resurrect the splendid vintages of past days in the valley. The rejoined, contiguous vineyards were now part of the Niebaum–Coppola Estate, which would be home base for the winery where the Coppolas hoped to build a worthwhile business. They wanted the enterprise to satisfy their high standards, enhance the industry, benefit the community, and respect the heritage of the vineyards. During that first year renovation began on the château, which would be the centerpiece of the property, an eventual gathering place for the public to partake of the vineyard's yield.
The notion of a winery was always part of the Coppolas’ Napa Valley vision. When they made their initial Napa Valley purchase in 1975 they decided to develop a winery on the property. To do so Francis Coppola applied his tried-and-true philosophy of selecting the right people and then giving them the authority. He selected Rafael Rodriguez to oversee the land, grow the grapes, and make the wine with a staff of his choosing.
In a book titled A Sense of Place: An Intimate Portrait of the Niebaum–Coppola Winery and the Napa Valley, by Steven Koplan, the author describes the history of the vineyards in the Napa Valley. John Daniel Jr., who was sea captain Gustave Niebaum's great-nephew, took over the Inglenook Winery in 1936 and ran it until 1954. This was known as the Daniel Era of Inglenook. Under Daniel's direction the winery returned to a level of quality that had been its reputation before Prohibition. One of the key supervisors at the vineyard had been a Mexican named Rafael Rodriguez. Coppola sought him out and invited him to work at the winery once again. Rodriguez explains Coppola's generosity and respect for the tradition of the winery: “When I returned here in 1976, my salary was one of the highest paid in the Napa Valley. I went from $25,000 to $40,000. Francis said, ‘You work for me, you will be part of an ownership program, you will have benefits, vacation, retirement.’…‘The dreams that Francis had to begin with were beautiful. He wanted to make a nature preserve here and revitalize what John Daniel had.’”1.
For the early years between 1975 and 1990 the venture was not profitable. Francis was still working his way out of bankruptcy, but by 1997 the property was on the upswing. During that year Coppola honored Rodriguez with a plaque and named one of the vineyards for him. Rodriguez gave private tours of Niebaum–Coppola, describing the history of the vineyards in vivid detail. Rodriguez and his workers developed a particularly superb section of the vineyard and named it the Gio vineyard after the late Gio Coppola.
As the enterprise continued to grow, and finally flourish, Coppola hired other experts to manage various aspects of the operation. The vineyards are maintained in accordance with the principles of viticulture including control of pests and diseases, proper fertilization, and irrigation. The winery has recently announced it is bee-free. These efforts contribute to the terroir, the French term that describes the unique characteristic of the vineyard's earth and what it brings to the overall wine product. Over the years Niebaum–Coppola made acquisitions in Napa Valley. In 2011 Coppola was able to purchase the Inglenook trademark for its exclusive use.
The château that was on the Inglenook Estate was transformed into a magnificent showcase for the wineries. There are guided tours, tastings, and a gift shop. The château itself was refurbished with the assistance of Dean Tavoularis, who designed many of the exteriors and interiors, including a magnificent staircase made from wood imported from Belize. Special events are ongoing. There is a movie gallery with recognizable memorabilia from Francis Coppola's five-decade career. In 2010 the memorabilia section expanded to include two large boats that were props from Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette. Outside on the estate are bocce courts and board and card games available to visitors at no charge. For guests who want to dine there is the Rustic restaurant offering many of Coppola's favorite dishes and an Argentine grill. There is a full Coppola wine list. Always family friendly, there is a park area on the premises. In season there are swimming pools and an outdoor, informal café for light fare. On the premises there are seasonal farmers’ markets. As part of giving back to the community, the winery has an annual holiday food drive.
There is a retail shop with a wide variety of tasteful merchandise from around the world and locally, including wine glasses, ceramics, and games, DVDs that are Francis's favorites, and a writer's corner for those interested in storytelling.
And what is the selections of wines? The winery produces over 40 varieties under the direction of winemaker Corey Beck. Not surprisingly, many of the wines are named for family members or reference aspects of Francis Coppola's career. Examples from the collections include the FC Reserve collection—Francis Coppola Reserve Director's Cut, which is a limited production of wines from Sonoma Valley that include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. The labels have been art designed by Tavoularis. The next collection is called Director's Sonoma Valley Cinema, another limited production of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Syrah. This collection is described by the winery as “spicy, full-bodied red wine layered with dark berry fruit impressions and an edge of earthiness.”2 The Diamond Collection includes the magenta label Alicante Bouschat. Coppola's grandfather used Alicante Bouschat grapes to make homemade wine, and Francis yearned for the taste. These grapes were grown in Lodi, California, which now has a vineyard to produce fruit for this wine type. One of the signature varieties is Sofia—Blanc de Blancs, a light sparkling wine bottled with pink cellophane wrapping to suggest a peony. The house produces Votre Santé Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in honor of Francis's father's mother, Maria Zasa. Sonoma County Archimedes wines are in honor of Coppola's grandfather Agostino. The Su Yuen varieties include a somewhat sweet white wine grown in Monterey County and a Syrah to accompany anything grilled. Vintner Coppola has a thriving wine business, and this is only one of his ventures. The flagship wine of the Inglenook Winery is a red variety named Rubicon.
Coppola has a number of restaurants in the San Francisco area. In North Beach is Café Niebaum-Coppola; in the Sentinel Building is Café Zoetrope; and in Napa, Mammarella's Café is named for his late mother Italia. Coppola's mother Italia was called mammarella, meaning “little mama.”
Italia Pennino Coppola was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 12, 1912, and died at age 91 on January 21, 2004. Much of the artistic heritage of the Coppola family can be traced to Italia's father Francesco Pennino, who composed songs in Naples, Italy. He imported Italian films to be screened at the Empire Theater in Brooklyn, which he owned. Italia Coppola was an extremely beautiful woman and was offered jobs as an actress, but her father wouldn't allow it. Instead she married Carmine Coppola and became a traditional Italian American housewife. She raised her children instilling music and storytelling in the household. After she married she became an excellent Italian cook and in her later years published Mama Coppola's Pasta Book. In recalling his mother, Francis Coppola said, “In a family of artists, she brought the magic to our family's creativity. She had a young girl's style even at 91.3 As part of the Francis Coppola Presents brand, the company produces pasta, sauces, and related condiments and foodstuffs as Mammarella Foods. Her young, beautiful face adorns the product line. All the foods are organic, with several varieties of both sauces and pastas.
In addition to Coppola the vintner and restaurateur, Coppola is also an hotelier. Coppola discovered Belize (formerly British Honduras) in 1981 when he and Tavoularis travelled together to scope out the newly independent state with the idea of establishing an innovative kind of studio in Central America. Coppola felt that Central America had the potential to be a receptive environment in which to make use of new technologies such as satellites. He and Tavoularis were the guests of the deputy prime minister, who was anxious to promote the nascent country and meet Coppola's potential needs. Coppola quickly became enchanted with the physical beauty of Belize, its diverse characteristics and rich history. He was so enchanted that he purchased a house there after making The Outsiders. Although close to personal bankruptcy, he was anticipating a business future in Belize. The house became a haven for Eleanor and Francis on numerous occasions.
Over time, as another element of his business empire, Coppola has developed several resorts in Belize. He conceptualized the resorts in concert with the varied landscapes of the country. The Blancaneaux Lodge is located in the Pine Ridge Mountain area. Turtle Inn is on the Caribbean, and La Lancha is on Peten Itza Lake. Coppola has used his vision to conceptualize vacations that meet the needs of any vacationer. There are options to travel among the three resorts to partake of the geographic diversity and myriad activities. There are archaeological sites, caves, water sports, rain forests, and exotic birds and animals. The resorts are a kind of paradise for many. In addition there is the opportunity for privacy, and the cuisine is produced in large part from organic gardens. The Coppola ownership contributes to environment projects. The accoutrements within individual cabanas are largely imported from Bali.
In classic Coppola tradition, one special offering is a retreat designed for vacationers who want to develop their own screenplay facilitated by professionals. Coppola's newest ventures in hospitality are Jardin Escondido, located in the heart of Buenos Aires, and 714 Gov. Nicholls Street, an inn located in New Orleans's French Quarter.
In March 2012, Coppola opened his first resort in Europe, located in the country and locale of his ancestors. The Italian resort is in the Basilicata region of southern Italy in the town of Bernalda, birthplace of his grandfather Agostino. Named Palazzo Margherita, the hotel has nine rooms and suites. The amenities are luxurious and high-end. With film always in Coppola's DNA, the Palazzo's salon converts into a private screening theater where guests can enjoy Coppola's personally curated collection of 300 classic Italian films and documentaries. Accomplished French designer Jacques Grange reimagined the nineteenth-century Italian villa with interiors that include hand-painted fresco ceilings in Baroque style, furniture designed by Grange, and marble flooring. In these lush and elegant surroundings guests can also experience the simplicity and old-world character of the village of Bernalda itself. The culinary staff is available to guests interested in learning how to cook the local cuisine, and trattorias abound in the nearby towns. Physical activities including swimming at the Palazzo's pool, and local beaches, golf courses, and bicycle riding are available. Cultural opportunities such as museums and monuments and exploration of the area's natural spectacles ensure that vacationers will have an idyllic adventure conceptualized with abundant care and specificity by the Coppolas and their expert Coppola Company professionals.
To bring the Coppola brand full circle, the quarterly literary magazine All-Story, first established by Zoetrope in 1997, has expanded to include writing workshops, events, and contests. The magazine has always attracted a vast array of known literary talent and now offers learning opportunities for growing talent and skill development.
For ventures of this magnitude, Coppola needs a Harvard MBA—and he has one. Jay Shoemaker is the CEO of Coppola Companies and Francis's consigliore. Coppola could be clearheaded about what was needed to run a megabusiness when he was in charge. Eleanor was also savvy and could see the big picture when it came to their enterprises. Carefully, they chose executive management who were capable of carrying out the Coppola Companies philosophy. It is a far cry from Francis's difficult experiences at the behest of the financial suits in the movie industry.
The businesses outside of film have made Coppola an extremely wealthy man. He is a multimillionaire. Francis Ford Coppola Presents has underwritten Youth without Youth, Tetro, and Twixt. There isn't much chance he will be forced to gamble and take risks of the financial kind in order to be a motion-picture storyteller, and because he now sees himself as an amateur with a learning curve, creatively he is enjoying himself and providing the opportunity for his audience to reap the artistic benefits.