The winery is a beautiful castle-like structure that was purchased by Francis Ford Coppola, along, of course, with the vineyards. Unique to NC is the movie memorabilia, including props from The Godfather, Dracula, and Tucker, and artifacts from early movie-making. Coppola's Oscars are also on display, as well as items relating to the history of the winery before it belonged to Coppola. There is an opportunity to sample (for a charge) the products of Coppola's vineyards and plenty of outdoor seating.

A handful of Oscars from the various Godfather movies are on display, as well as one of the cars from Tucker, the the desk from the Godfather(!!!), Kilgore's boots & hat from Apocalypse Now, the suit of armor from Dracula...and numerous other items of genuine movie memorabilia. There is also the most stunning stained glass over the staircase casting light into the main entryway.

The tasting room can get a bit crowded and has an overly-commercial feel to it, but premium tastings are available for the asking in a separate room. During the summer it can be a madhouse, so be prepared to walk a ways in as parking can be impossible when the crowds get big. Still worth the effort to see.

The tasting room (more like an estate) has a touch of theme park about it. Wine World, perhaps. They charge $6-10 to taste, depending on what wines you are sampling, but the pours are generous, considering the purpose is supposed to be to decide what you'd like to buy, and you and a companion can always share one glass. And you get to keep the glass. My favorite was the Black Diamond Claret, which had a lot of fruit without being heavily oaked. It's about $15 at the winery (cheaper at Trader Joe's and Costco).

There is a huge gift shop with all kinds of wine-related paraphernalia and books. The grounds are stunning in a very Hollywood way -- I believe his daughter, actress Sofia Coppola, got married on the grounds. There is a picnic area with a good view of the valley.