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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
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Francis Ford Coppola Says Bottler|Ruined His ‘Wine Encyclopedia’ Kits

NAPA, Calif. (CN) - Francis Ford Coppola says a manufacturer's defective bottles and caps ruined 55,000 cases of wine he made for an "Encyclopedia" wine subscription program. The moviemaker and vintner says he designed his wine Encyclopedia to educate buyers on how geography, history, food and religion "contributed to the making and enjoyment of wine."

Coppola says his winemaking team traveled all over the world to find the best varietals to showcase winemaking culture and traditions in various winegrowing regions.

His company, Francis Ford Coppola Presents, claims it paid Vinocor USA $685,000 to make packaging, oversized screw caps and high quality, custom-shaped bottles for the wine Encyclopedia.

But Coppola claims the first shipment had bottles with chipped glass, bent necks and deformed seals, among other things. The screw caps had uneven threading, were missing parts and were bent from "careless shipping," Coppola claims in Napa County Court.

Coppola says he complained about the first $685,000 shipment, and Vinocor promised it would fix the situation. Based on that assurance, Coppola says, he ordered another 100,000 screw caps and another round of bottles, but they were also defective.

Coppola says the bottles and caps leaked and allowed oxidation, ruining all 55,000 cases he bottled.

Barry Lee with Manatt Phelps & Phillips is representing Francis Ford Coppola Presents in its lawsuit for unspecified damages.

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