Gia Coppola probably picks out wine the same way you do. “I get really intimidated when it’s like, ‘OK, these are the floral notes.’ I don’t look at wine like that,” she tells me. Instead, she’s seeking something unfussy, something in the right price range, and something that speaks to her generation.
That might be surprising, given that she’s the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola, who has his own lauded winery. (She’s also worked as a barback at the acclaimed Bouchon Bistro, a job that required her to take wine classes.) “Always being around the winery, I had a new appreciation of the culture of the wine industry and the heritage that comes along with it,” she says. “I wanted to make something that felt youthful. Something that you don’t have to be so precious with and it can still be elegant and tasty.”
Gia’s new line of wines are all one-liter bottles sealed with a bottle cap rather than the typical cork or twist top. The labels feature photographs from her own archives, with her close friends and personal memories playing a big role in how she paired them with the different varietals. The vibe is playful and on-the-go, equally suitable for for bringing to BYOB restaurants or playing rosé pong — Gia’s suggestions.
She also suggests pairing her wines with some nontraditional snacks: chips, sour straws, chocolate-covered pretzels. “Maybe I’m just stuck being a twelve-year-old for life,” she says, explaining why she loves Smucker’s Uncrustables (“They’re like a peanut-butter-and-jelly dumpling. They’re addictive”). No matter how quirky these snacks sound, she makes a pretty good case for these high-low summer treats:
** (2) with dark-chocolate-covered pretzels**
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I’ve been playing around with this question of: How do we connect with an audience that’s younger? *Thirsty* obviously has multiple meanings to it on social media and in meme culture. But I thought it was funny, in terms of the wine industry. And this big cat on the label — it’s just so humorous and right.
This wine isn’t so full — you can pair it with a dark chocolate and it’s not two heavy things at the same time. You don’t need to have a big fancy filet mignon with red wine.
** (3) with sour straws**
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I associate a white wine with summertime — making a white-wine spritzer, sitting by the pool. That’s what this pairing reminds me of. My best friend Natalie is in the picture on the label. We took this in a random forest; she was on some photo shoot, and I was just taking behind the scenes pictures. With the name #selfish, I was thinking of allowing yourself to just be on your own terms and do whatever it is you want to do.
** (1) with salt-and-vinegar chips**
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I’m addicted to chips. This pairing just reminds me of being in Napa and going to Giugni’s and getting roast-beef sandwiches and having salt-and-vinegar chips. The rosé is ideal for the daytime and very summery — great for sitting by the pool or getting rowdy with friends at dinner.
The picture is one I took on the set of my movie *Palo Alto*. We were shooting scenes in a retirement home and I was roaming around. I saw that weird phone book, and I was just like, *This is so creepy and odd*. I really had to push the winery to let me use this image.
**Gia’s other favorite pairings:**
—Latúe Tempranillo with pistachios
—2015 Elicio Red Blend with Smucker’s Uncrustables peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches
—2017 Elicio Vermentino with sour straws
—Cà Furlan Cuvée Beatrice Prosecco DOC NV with a Nerds Rope
*Molly Elizalde is Lenny’s editorial and creative director.*
1) (https://www.wineawesomeness.com/2016-gia-coppola-red-blend-thirsty.html)
2) (https://www.wineawesomeness.com/2016-gia-coppola-white-blend-selfish.html)
3) (https://www.wineawesomeness.com/2017-gia-coppola-rose-overit.html)
