WINE NEWS: Napa Valley Godfather Honoured

Francis Ford Coppola, five-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, was promoted to "Officier" in the French Legion of Honor by Frederic Desagneaux, the French consul general, at a ceremony held in San Francisco on August 9th. Desagneaux praised Coppola's contributions to cinema and culture along with his "passion for food, wine and art".

The ceremony was attended by friends, including the Napa Valley legend and Coppola neighbour Robert Mondavi; Berkeley film producer Saul Zaentz (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and film and sound editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now).

Coppola, talking about his plans to expand his winemaking from Napa into Sonoma County, said: “I felt it was a mistake to be offering the public a good $15 (£7.45) bottle of wine and a great $150 (£74.53) bottle under the same name. I think many people were confused.

"So splitting the two, and calling one 'Rubicon Estates' and taking my name off it - that's the premium wine from the 250-acres in Napa. The other is Francis Coppola, which is a much bigger company and offers many different wines at popular prices.''
Coppola's first directing effort in a decade, Youth Without Youth, a romantic thriller based on a novella by Mircea Eliad, opens later this year.

For further info on Coppola and his wines check out:
The Rubicon Estate - Top class estate formlerly known as Niebaum-Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola Winery- The new estate making some great everyday drinking wines.

Youth Without Youth - Long awaited new movie from FFC.