Francis Ford Coppola Winery

“The idea of this new Francis Coppola Winery grew step by step out of the property itself, and discussions with Dean Tavoularis. I’ve always been influenced by the idea of the Tivoli Gardens, this fantastic area that had been a 19th century Danish park for all people to enjoy. I remember the beautiful theater pavilions with the curtains painted with peacock feathers where they had little ballet performances. At Tivoli there were rides, but more important were the cafes and the refreshments, and the sense of being in a children’s garden – a garden of pleasure and enjoyment. I read recently in Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibility a description of a wonderful estate and its ‘pleasure-grounds’. It is perhaps the best phrase to describe what we’re creating. So when I thought of what a winery could be like, I thought, “Why couldn’t it be a park for the family to go and enjoy, where there were things for kids to do as well so they could be close to their parents who were sampling wines and foods?” I’ve often felt that modern life tends to separate all the ages too much, that in the old days the children lived with their parents and their grandparents – and this family unit gave one another something very valuable. When I thought of a place that we could have for a winery, I thought, “Why can’t it be kind of like a resort, except without the hotel rooms, but basically a wine wonderland, or a park, a garden, a pleasure-grounds?” It could be a place that people of all ages spend time together and celebrate the love of life, enjoy all the best things of life – food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming, and performances. And little by little by little in my talks with Dean Tavoularis, and looking at the beautiful site that we had inherited, we began to develop an idea of this winery as a park of pleasure.” – Francis Ford Coppola