Gia Coppola Is About to Dominate the World of Film and Wine
The Coppola family is universally known for their magical artistic touch. Whatever any of them select as an interest, they don’t just try it, they do it and excel at it. And usually, they end up dominating that particular industry. Gia Coppola is certainly no exception. She is the latest in a line of 5 Generations of Coppola’s in the film business and a 5th generation winemaker, and is also a photographer, artist, impromptu mixologist – and much more.
Her recent winemaking endeavor is a fantastic addition to the family legacy – which is 5 Coppolas deep at this point, with fellow winemakers including her Great-Great Grandfather Agostino, her Great Grandfather Carmine, her Grandfather Francis, her Uncle Roman, and now Gia herself. The line is called “Gia by Gia Coppola“ and features three varietals, all low in alcohol content (11.5%), making them light, easy-to-drink and low in calories. The flavors include: 2012 Gia Frizzante Chardonnay, 2013 Gia Pinot Grigio, and the 2012 Gia Pinot Noir. These wines are made at her grandfather’s winery, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, in northern Sonoma County and Gia worked closely with the Director of Winemaking Corey Beck and his team of winemakers to develop them. Gia has said of the development process, “I’m extremely involved in the process as I wanted to make sure these wines were a true representation of me and my personality. Everything from selecting the grapes to designing the wine labels and logo, I had a part in.”
But wine isn’t the only thing she’s adding her signature style to these days. Much like the other members of her family, including her Grandfather Francis and her Aunt Sofia, Gia is the latest Coppola to earn their own director’s chair. Her directorial debut on critically acclaimed film Palo Alto (in theaters in May and starring James Franco), is certainly not one you’ll want to miss. Here are some early reviews to prove it:
“A promising debut from a third-generation Coppola…Palo Alto is a dreamy looking, unsensationalized portrait of badly behaved residents of a notably affluent California town. Directed and written by Gia Coppola, who here extends the family dedication to filmmaking in the a third generation…” Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, 8/2013
“Gia Coppola proves to have quite the eye, if not quite the natural storytelling instinct of her cinematic kin, serving up a remarkably assured feature debut with “Palo Alto.” –Peter Debruge, Variety, 8/2013
You might be wondering, how can anyone throw themselves into two completely different industries and naturally do so well in both? Well, Gia has found a way to make it happen. On creating her new brand, she says, “I was always envious that every family member had a wine and I loved watching the process of how the idea evolves. It’s very much like making a movie–there’s all these different components you have to check on–the designing, the tasting, marketing. So I was excited when it finally came my turn. I wanted something that is light and is more directed to younger people trying to understand wine.”
Shy is a word she uses to describe herself, but her accomplishments are far from shy. Humor, romance and fun are often times recurring themes in her endeavors. “She’s going to be the next Coppola force to be reckoned with,” fashion prodigy Zac Posen insists. “They just genetically, aesthetically, have something – they’re able to capture magic.” And based on what we’ve seen from Gia so far, we’d had to agree with Mr. Posen. Gia is about to take over the world and we have a front row seat.
And more information on her new film Palo Alto here.
