A successful match of two things you wouldn't necessarily think would go together is even more satisfying for being unexpected. The first person who dipped pretzels into chocolate or put pineapple onto a pizza was probably quite pleased with the result. Sometimes it happens with wine—either through a pairing of food and wine or through the winery itself. Witness the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery, now renamed Rubicon Estate.
Francis Ford Coppola could have rested on his directing and producing laurels with the likes of "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" for the rest of his film career. Yet in 1975, Coppola purchased the impressive Inglenook vineyard in Napa, Calif., built and planted by the Niebaum family. He spent years returning the winery to its former glory, with great success.
The Coppola label has made many distinctive wines, including the critically acclaimed, organically farmed Rubicon (retails for over $100), a blend that is heavy on Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes brought from France over a hundred years ago. Without running up the credit card bills, the Diamond Series (more in the $15-20 range) produces several crowd-pleasing wines, such as a Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Merlot. Even more affordable (at around $10 each) are the red and white blends—the Rosso and the Bianco. Both make a great everyday wine, but one wine holds a special place in my heart. I first came across it almost two years ago sitting on the back shelves of Briarwood Mart, and brought it over to a friend's house to have with smoked salmon pizza. Bottles later, I'm still smitten. It's called the Sofia, a Blanc de Blancs (runs about $17), and you know you're getting a delightful bottle when it's wrapped in pink cellophane. This sparkling wine comes from Monterey County-grown Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat. The bubbles are plenty, while the aromas and flavors lean toward lemon, green apples and pears, with underlying floral notes.
Named after Sofia Coppola, who is successfully following her father's directorial example, the label touts adjectives, such as "petulant, revolutionary, reactionary, poetic." Those phrases make this a perfect wine to accompany Sofia's latest movie "Marie Antoinette."
Another reason the beheaded queen would love the wine—and getting back to the original theme of ideas that should not, by design, unite—is that the bubbles are also available in little pink cans, bendable straws attached. Perhaps it is another marketing ploy, but it won't stop you from having fun.
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