News and Updates

Francis Ford Coppola unveils new restaurant in Sonoma County

Press Democrat

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/6225220-181/coppola-unveils-his-new-restaurant

Francis Ford Coppola announced Monday that he will locate his new restaurant at the Virginia Dare Winery in Geyserville, the acclaimed director’s latest endeavor in building up Sonoma County’s culinary scene.

The restaurant will be called Werowocomoco (pronounced Wero-wo-como-ko) and will open on Nov. 5, featuring dining fare that Coppola said would be “inspired by the culinary traditions of the earliest inhabitants of North America.”

For instance, the 66-seat restaurant will have items such as bison ribs with a berry barbecue sauce, river-harvested wild rice with cranberries, and fry bread tacos.

As for the restaurant’s tongue-twisting name? “Try it, it’s fun to say,” Coppola said.

It was actually named after a 17th century Algonquin settlement, and it continues the pattern of early American monikers that Coppola established with Virginia Dare, the first English child born to American colonists in 1587.

“Virginia Dare Winery highlights the genesis of American winemaking, so it makes sense that our new restaurant would celebrate our country’s indigenous foods,” Coppola said in a statement.

Coppola in 2013 bought the former Geyser Peak Winery and 32 acres of vineyards in the Alexander Valley, which he turned into the Virginia Dare Winery last year.

In Sonoma County, Coppola is most well known for his Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville, which features a 3,600-square-foot pool, cabanas, a tasting room as well as memorabilia from his films. It also houses Rustic, a restaurant that is known for its “A Tavola” dinners on Tuesday night where actor/servers play an Italian family while serving guests. There are no menus as the servers come to the table periodically to offer an assortment of dishes, including meats, pastas, pizzas and salads.

The winery is the 12th largest in the United States, according to Wine Business Monthly, producing 1.7 million cases in 2015.

He also owns the Inglenook winery in the Rutherford region of Napa Valley as well as Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco and Mammarella Foods, a line of premium organic pastas and sauces.

To show his appreciation to the local community, Coppola has invited Geyserville residents to a private preview of Werowocomoco with complimentary food on Nov. 4. Residents should received their invitations in the mail this week. The winery is located at 22281 Chianti Road.