While “sheltering in paradise” at home in the Napa Valley, Francis Ford Coppola is enjoying life with over 20 family members. In the evening, they watch movies, stargaze, and sip premium wines they would normally order in restaurants.
Last year, Coppola won Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”
His variety of blends, some named after the women in his family, reflect an “instinct”-driven approach that differs from prominent Tuscan wine-makers in Italy, like Gaja and Antinori.
With time to reflect on a hobby that’s now 40 years in the making, the movie director took a moment to share the origin of his affinity for wine during a recent interview with Forbes.
“As an Italian-American, I confess I never saw a dinner table that didn’t have wine on it,” he said.
Growing up in Queens, New York, his uncles regaled him with fun stories of the Italian families that went to great lengths– especially during Prohibition– to produce wine at home. His grandfather even tried to persuade his seven sons to help, but with limited luck. They preferred to steal fresh grapes–a luxury at that time– than drink fermented ones.
Thanks to “The Godfather,” Coppola was able to purchase the vineyard that he now owns. At that time, he knew very little about wine-making, but it didn’t stop him. In the rhythm of it all, he could manage two passions at once.
“Wine is so much more than a beverage. It’s a romance, a story, a drama,” he said. “All of those things that are involved in putting on a show.”