Gia Coppola Dishes On Millennial-Focused Wine Collaboration With Grandfather Francis Ford Coppola

Photo Credit: Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Francis Ford Coppola has made his wine business a family affair. The feted director was on hand to celebrate his new wine collection collaboration, #Collection by Gia Coppola, with fellow filmmaking granddaughter Gia Coppola at his Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma this summer. The three new wines debuted include:

#Selfish White Blend: A white blend of Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Vernaccia, and Vermentino that’s light and smooth with a long, fragrant finish.

#Thirsty Red Blend: A bold and juicy red blend consisting of Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, that’s full-bodied, smooth on the approach and long on the finish.

#OverIt Rosé: Inspired to design a brand that reflected Gia’s creative personality, she collaborated with Francis and the winemakers to present a new style of wine—one that’s light, unpretentious, and made for the hashtag generation.

Here, we chatted with Gia about her new collection and the greatest lessons she’s learned from working with her legendary grandfather.

Photo Credit: Francis Ford Coppola Winery

How involved had you been, up until now, with the wine-naming/making process?

I’ve been very involved actually, and worked closely with our chief of winemaking, Corey. He’d send me varietals and then I would send them back to him — with the blend I liked. Sort of like a wine pen pal, so he was able to get a really good sense of what I wanted.

How did you go about naming the #Collection Wines? Did you have a say in what the blends would be?

It seemed like a fun idea to base a wine on a mood rather than a description, so I came up with the collection.

Why did you decide to call the rose #OverIt?

I was just playing around with all sorts of hashtags and I liked the sassy-ness of “over it.”

Photo Credit: Francis Ford Coppola Winery

What did you love the most about working with your grandfather on the collection?

I enjoy learning from and spending time with him. He’s very daring in everything he does and was adamant about the bottle size and bottle cap, so I incorporated into my vision for my wine collection.

What’s the best piece of advice he ever gave you?

Better is enemy of the good.

What is your first memory of drinking wine? Was it with your grandfather or someone else? How did it foster the appreciation you have today for wine?

I remember as a kid being around large family dinners where wine was celebrated and enjoyed. When I was able to drink, I really appreciated the flavors of wine versus a “drink to get drunk” mentality.

Photo Credit: Francis Ford Coppola Winery

You’ve waited a few years to tackle another feature, “The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll,” since 2013’s “Palo Alto.” What has been your focus in the interim?

I’ve been enjoying photography and focusing on writing.

What to you is the greatest luxury in life and why?

Free time to do nothing. I work a lot so when I get to completely remove myself from all responsibilities and just relax, that feels healing.