Francis Ford Coppola Winery owner shutters production facility in latest Wine Country closure
The owner of Francis Ford Coppola Winery has closed one of its two production facilities.
Delicato, which purchased the winery from the famous film director in 2021, closed the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Too production facility in Geyserville and laid off 15 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed earlier this month with California authorities. The layoffs at 22281 Chianti Road, Geyserville, took effect on May 15, according to the filing. Most of the employees worked in wine production roles; all were offered severance.
Delicato, the fourth largest U.S. wine producer, is best known for supermarket brands like boxed wine Bota. Vice president of communications Brent Dodd told the Chronicle that the company has 'ample production capacity' throughout its California facilities and has moved production from the Chianti Road winery to its nearby Francis Ford Coppola Winery, 'which remains fully open for tasting, restaurant, pool, bottling and crushing.'
Delicato is one of several major wine companies to downsize this year amidst a worsening global wine downturn. Earlier this month, Duckhorn announced the closure of three tasting rooms and plans to phase out four brands. In April, Jackson Family Wines confirmed layoffs and Constellation Brands sold off a huge chunk of its wine portfolio. Lawrence Wine Estates has also recently laid off employees, closed a winemaking facility and consolidated much of its production.
Delicato acquired the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Too facility, formerly known as Virginia Dare Winery, along with the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and label, plus a vineyard. (Coppola had purchased the Virginia Dare facility, originally the home of Geyser Peak Winery, in 2014.) As part of the deal, which Coppola told the Wall Street Journal was worth about $650 million, the director joined Delicato's board of directors and received an equity stake in the company. Coppola, who still owns his noted Napa Valley wine estate, Inglenook, said he borrowed $200 million against that equity stake to help fund his controversial and costly film 'Megalopolis.'
Despite the recent facility closure, the Coppola acquisition seems to have paid off for Delicato. The Coppola Diamond brand, featuring a wide array of wines priced under $20, accounts for 1.2 million cases of Delicato's $16 million case production and surpasses Bota, which is at 900,000 cases, according to Wine Business.
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Delicato Family Wines ceases winemaking at Francis Ford Coppola facility
US-based Delicato Family Wines has stopped production at a satellite site used for its Francis Ford Coppola wines in Geyserville, California. The company told Just Drinks it had stopped crushing at the facility, while bottling and canning activities continue. Ceasing winemaking at the facility, known as Virginia Dare Winery/Geyser Peak, has resulted in the layoff of 15 employees. Delicato's move is part of a 'long-planned' integration of the Francis Ford Coppola wine business, acquired by Delicato in 2021, into its "broader production network", it said. Over the past three years, Delicato has gradually been relocating winemaking operations from satellite site to the main Francis Ford Coppola Winery, located nearby in Geyserville, and other Delicato locations. The satellite facility which has been 'underutilised' for wine production, is being 'right-sized' as part of a broader strategy to 'optimise resources' across Delicato's portfolio, the group added. The California-based group's portfolio includes brands such as Coppola Diamond, Bota Box and Gnarly Head. Transcendent Wines, its fine wines portfolio features the brands Black Stallion, Diora and Torbreck, among others. The development comes amid a difficult operating climate for US wine producers. Jackson Family Wines pointed to a 'challenging business environment' after announcing employee layoffs this April. At the time, the company told Just Drinks it had 'made some recent adjustments as part of broader efforts to navigate the challenging business environment facing many in and beyond our industry and to protect the long-term health of our business'. Delicato, however, emphasised that its decision to shut the Francis Ford Coppola facility was "not tied to sales performance or industry trends - on the contrary, the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection has grown 6% since we acquired the brand in 2021". Earlier this month, The Duckhorn Portfolio announced plans to concentrate its investment on a select group of wineries and close several tasting rooms as part of efforts to 'profitably scale.' "Delicato Family Wines ceases winemaking at Francis Ford Coppola facility " was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
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19-05-2025
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Francis Ford Coppola Winery owner shutters production facility in latest Wine Country closure
The owner of Francis Ford Coppola Winery has closed one of its two production facilities. Delicato, which purchased the winery from the famous film director in 2021, closed the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Too production facility in Geyserville and laid off 15 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed earlier this month with California authorities. The layoffs at 22281 Chianti Road, Geyserville, took effect on May 15, according to the filing. Most of the employees worked in wine production roles; all were offered severance. Delicato, the fourth largest U.S. wine producer, is best known for supermarket brands like boxed wine Bota. Vice president of communications Brent Dodd told the Chronicle that the company has 'ample production capacity' throughout its California facilities and has moved production from the Chianti Road winery to its nearby Francis Ford Coppola Winery, 'which remains fully open for tasting, restaurant, pool, bottling and crushing.' Delicato is one of several major wine companies to downsize this year amidst a worsening global wine downturn. Earlier this month, Duckhorn announced the closure of three tasting rooms and plans to phase out four brands. In April, Jackson Family Wines confirmed layoffs and Constellation Brands sold off a huge chunk of its wine portfolio. Lawrence Wine Estates has also recently laid off employees, closed a winemaking facility and consolidated much of its production. Delicato acquired the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Too facility, formerly known as Virginia Dare Winery, along with the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and label, plus a vineyard. (Coppola had purchased the Virginia Dare facility, originally the home of Geyser Peak Winery, in 2014.) As part of the deal, which Coppola told the Wall Street Journal was worth about $650 million, the director joined Delicato's board of directors and received an equity stake in the company. Coppola, who still owns his noted Napa Valley wine estate, Inglenook, said he borrowed $200 million against that equity stake to help fund his controversial and costly film 'Megalopolis.' Despite the recent facility closure, the Coppola acquisition seems to have paid off for Delicato. The Coppola Diamond brand, featuring a wide array of wines priced under $20, accounts for 1.2 million cases of Delicato's $16 million case production and surpasses Bota, which is at 900,000 cases, according to Wine Business.
