The Business of Innovation

(Wines&Vines) - When Francis Coppola decided to remove his movie memorabilia and rename Niebaum-Coppola winery Rubicon Estate Winery (now Inglenook), the move was met with confusion and resistance on the parts of its Napa Valley neighbors and even members of the winery’s own staff. But as with all true innovations, skepticism is par for the course, said Tracy Geldert, CEO at Francis Ford Coppola Presents.

Geldert was part of a group of alcoholic beverage producers participating in a panel about innovation Thursday at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium.

She shared that the award-winning film director wanted to clear Niebaum-Coppola, which hosted 350,000 visitors per year, of “people who don’t care about wine.” The move went against everything Geldert had learned about getting and retaining customers, but with an estimated 70% of consumers not participating in a wine tasting when they visited the tasting room in the Rutherford AVA, Coppola’s idea was not without merit.

People were equally horrified when Coppola bought the beloved Chateau Souverain property in Sonoma County and immediately dug a giant hole on the grounds for a swimming pool. But after re-homing all of the cinematic treasures and non-Inglenook wines to this site, and creating a family atmosphere that includes the swimming pool, cabanas and a restaurant, the new Francis Ford Coppola Winery drove visitation up to 200,000 per year and gave wine country tourists a reason to venture beyond Healdsburg and into Sonoma County’s Geyserville, Calif.

“By year three it was really fun being looked at as a leader and having the courage to do what we did at the property. But it took a lot of courage, and we had to spend a lot of time managing expectations,” she said.

One difficult hurdle Geldert had to jump during the changeover was releasing Niebaum-Coppola employees who were resistant to the transition. By the time the company opened the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Geldert knew what needed to be done. “We had a lot of fun with it and hired a whole lot of people with a can-do attitude that loved it as much as we did,” she said.