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A toast, to Coppola
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July 2, 1997: 8:03 p.m. ET
Academy award-winning filmmaker has another passion: wine making
From Correspondent Donald Van De Mark
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Francis Ford Coppola is best known for hit movies like his "Godfather" series, but he's spent the past 25 years on another passion: wine making.
Drawing on a tradition started by his grandfather during Prohibition, the celebrated filmmaker owns the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in California's Napa Valley.
"I do the things I love on the theory that … there might be other people enjoying the same things that I enjoy," Coppola said. "And I just gravitate to what I think is authentic, pleasurable and has quality."
His entree into wine making started in 1972, when he was looking for a country house for his family. He lived in San Francisco with his wife and two sons, and thought it would be fun to have a "few acres" of vines. An agent showed him the Inglenook estate and he was hooked. (226K WAV) or (226K AIFF)
Coppola bought part of the estate for $2.5 million using profits from "The Godfather." A string of corporations owned the rest and produced inexpensive jug wine. After a dozen films and 20 years, he was able to buy the entire property -- including the chateau -- for $10 million by using profits from his movie, "Bram Stoker's Dracula."
Coppola, as an artist and businessman, said it's crucial to have good information before making major decisions. His experiences in making the critically acclaimed success "Apocalypse Now," taught him a valuable lesson.
Production of the movie took three years and cost twice its budget because of a string of problems that included star Martin Sheen's heart attack during filming and a typhoon that destroyed all of the sets.
"Ironically, 'Apocalypse Now' was a great, great success and remains to this day a classic -- and really is one of the things that earns the money that supports my family," Coppola said. "But at the time, when 'Apocalypse Now' was actually about to come out, I was very worried about it."
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