Francis Ford Coppola Winery Kicks Off Second Annual “Perfect Your Pizza” Competition and Launches Live Pizza & Wine Pairing Tipline

GEYSERVILLE, Calif., June 12, 2023 – Francis Ford Coppola Winery, the iconic Sonoma County wine estate behind the award-winning Diamond Collection wine brand, today announces its second annual “Perfect Your Pizza” competition. Entries open on July 1 for aspiring home cooks to submit an original pizza recipe and wine pairing for the chance to win $25,000 and the title of “Pizza and Wine Pairing Champ.” Four finalists will receive an expenses-paid trip to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery to compete in a cook-off for the grand cash prize.

To help Americans amplify the joy of pizza with the joys of a perfect wine pairing, Francis Ford Coppola Winery is simultaneously launching the” “Coppola Pizza WineLine” at 601-706-WINE (9463). This free text line will be staffed by live, pizza-loving wine pros at Francis Ford Coppola Winery, who will provide advice to help pizza lovers take their next bite of their favorite food to new levels of cheesy, chewy bliss. From July 1, 2023, consumers can get answers to burning pizza pairing questions such as, “Which wines pair well with white pizza?” and “Is there a wine that actually tastes good with a Hawaiian pie?” The Coppola Pizza WineLine will run for the duration of the “Perfect Your Pizza” contest submission period, ending August 31, 2023, with live chat available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT. This source of boozy, crusty knowledge arrives just in time for summer’s outdoor pizza parties and cookouts.

“We have served wood-fired pizza and other classic Italian dishes, as well as Francis Coppola’s favorite family recipes, at our winery restaurant since it opened its doors in 2010,” noted Gabriela Becker, vice president of marketing for Coppola Wines.

Becker continued: “Pizza is not only one of Americans’ favorite foods, it’s in the Coppola Winery DNA, and it offers an approachable culinary canvas for any home cook to tell a story through food and wine. And because our Diamond Collection offers a range of wines—spanning styles from zesty Prosecco to rich, full-bodied Claret—it gives contest entrants flexibility in picking the perfect pairing for their pizza recipe.”

Commenting on the Coppola Pizza WineLine, Becker offers that “For year two of our contest, we wanted to help Americans level up their enjoyment of pizza by educating them on how much the choice of what to drink with your pizza can affect the way it tastes.”

To help ensure high standards for the Perfect Your Pizza contest, Coppola has again enlisted one of the country’s foremost pizza authorities: Dan Richer, author of New York Times best-selling cookbook, The Joy of Pizza: Everything You Need to Know. Richer, in addition to serving as principal judge at the finalist cook-off, developed three new pizza recipes designed to pair perfectly with Diamond Collection wines, below. Full recipes and high-res photographs illustrating these spectacular pizzas are available upon request.

• Funghi: Mixed roasted mushrooms, shaved onion, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano andchives. Pair with Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Pinot Noir.
• Corn Pie: Peak-season summer sweet corn, fermented chili paste, caramelized onions, mozzarellaand scamorza. Pair with Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Chardonnay.
• Montagna: Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced speck (or prosciutto), arugula andParmigiano-Reggiano. Pair with Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Merlot.

Submissions for “Perfect Your Pizza” open on July 1st. Contestants may enter by visiting www.coppolaperfectyourpizza.com and providing their ingredient lists, full recipe and story inspiration for their creation. The deadline for entry is August 31, 2023. Follow along on Instagram @coppolawine and at www.francisfordcoppolawinery.com/perfectyourpizza.