Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia Wine
Cute bottles lured me to drink!
So you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, right? Or make assumptions about someone by their appearance, or… well, the list could go on, no? But what about wine? Can you judge a Riesling by its bottle?
Well, (gulp) that’s exactly what I did. A few days ago while grocery shopping, a bottle in the distance caught my eye. It had a scientific appeal, with its flask-like silhouette calling out to me. I was quite curious and lost track of my husband as I beelined towards the display of interesting bottles. On closer inspection, I discovered these unique bottles contained European wines imported by Francis Ford Coppola. This special collection of wines had little leaflets attached to the bottles that gave a brief background about the different types of wines offered under the Encyclopedia name. In addition, a cute little country sticker adorned each bottle to inform about the country of origin. Apparently this Encyclopedia division was inspired by Coppola’s granddaughter who was just delving into the world of wine.
Image credit: Author (bottles of Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia wines – Tempranillo and Riesling)
While I’ve never seen any of The Godfather movies, I do adore the work of Sofia Coppola, and I figured a movie mogul of Italian decent would probably know his wines. Plus, at 3 (cute) bottles for $10, I really couldn’t resist.
So how about the the wine? I don’t claim to be a vino connoisseur so my methods for what makes a good bottle of wine are not scientific. But, I, along with three companions, experimented with the Riesling and found it to be a bit bitter. As for the Tempranillo, from Spain, it was my first try of this type of wine, and I was intrigued. All-in-all, for the price, I can’t complain too much about the taste. However, since the German wine isn’t as sweet as my taste buds would like, I’m going to use it in cooking only.
Luckily, at a price of $10, I’m not out of too much dough, plus, I still have these wines for culinary endeavors, so nothing is going to waste. But, I’ve learned my lesson: don’t judge a drinking wine by it’s bottle. Of course, though, if you want the bottle no matter the contents, that is a completely different story.
Image credit: Jules (Leaflet adorning the Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia wines)
Liked it
It should be a nice collection, taking all the knowledge inside the encyclopedia in every shot. Worth a place in the cellar.
You are so like me Juhls! I buy wine that has ‘pretty’ bottles if ever I see it … and often live to regret it! That’s an entertaining story, I can see exactly why you bought these, especially with the Francis Ford Coppola link. Thanks for sharing.
I’d rate Coppola wines as OK, those are interesting bottles
Fun piece, enjoyed it. Don’t keep things so bottled up!
Thanks,
Clay
Deep Blue: Yes, I’m definitely keeping the wines and plan to use the bottles for vases or something after all the vino is gone.
Kate Smedley: Hehe, I’m glad I’m not the only one! Cute bottles and labels really do grab my attention, however, we both know that the quality of the wine really has nothing to do with what is on the outside (hehe, from many experiments, right?).
Joe Dorish: I was surprised, I thought that with an Italian link these would certainly be smashing. But I guess for the price, these are more a beginning wine. So no complaints from me.
clay hurtubise: Thanks for the nice comment. Glad you liked it!
Thanks for sharing. We went to the Coppola winery several years ago. They have a small museum with pictures of and information on films made by Francis Ford, Sophia ? and pictures of Nicholas Cage (Coppola).
I keep my wine bottles for bud vases, so buy the pretty ones.
Very interesting. Pretty bottles.
Every house could always use and interesting bottle or two. Thanks for the informative article. (Those are pretty bottles)
I collect all kinds of bottles Julz..I started collecting nine years ago..some are worth nothing because the demand for them isn’t very high and others are worth a few dollars..but who knows..if I’m still alive in the next 80 years..they might be worth a fortune! I’m not a wine expert but I can tell you a little about the wines mentioned above..when I’m not drinking Frigate rum..I enjoy having a wine or two or three. Okidoki..Tempranillo – characterised by earthy-savoury flavours..a touch of berry fruit and fine, dry tannins (compounds present in the skins and pips of grapes)..Spain’s answer to France’s Cabernet Sauvignon. The everyday Tempranillo wines are great with paella, pasta and pizza.
Riesling – full of citrus aromas..smells like oily kerosene if it’s aged a bit..a great rival of Chardonnay. Great with hors d’oeuvres, freshwater fish, seafood and vegetarian dishes.
Hah! Now I know a boatload more about wine…excellent info!
-Fresh Writing
@Ray: Very cool that you’ve visited the Coppola winery… would love to do that someday!
@ Ruby Hawk: Awesome! That is totally my style. I have many bottles saved from other things, but not as many so far from vinos.
@Eunice Tan: Thanks so much for reading the article : ).
@Doug Oldfield: Thank you for the comment!
@hiho: Wow! It sounds like you have an incredible collection of interesting bottles! You should post some pictures. Thank you so much for the thorough explanation of Tempranillo and Riesling. Your descriptions are divine. Great to get the scoop out what those wines pair well with. I need to start cooking up some paella ; ).
@Fresh Writing: Thank you for checking out the article! Hehe, I think you learned more about these wines from Miss Hiho than me ; ).
Very nice.
I’ve been searching high and low in LA for any bottles other than the Torrontes… any tips?? Seems like it isn’t anywhere I’ve tried and the places the website lists haven’t been much help….
I’ve to admit that this was interesting, and you’d laid out the idea in a unique way. Thanks and have my liked it.
Does anyone know about this? http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/12/08/Francis_Ford_Coppola_Says_Bottler_Ruined_His_Wine_Encyclopedia_Kits.htm
If all 55,000 cases were ruined, then what are we drinking?
