Partnership Kicks Off with Tasting at Texas Antiques Week
Geyserville, CA. (March 13, 2017) – Today The Family Coppola’s Virginia Dare Winery announces an exciting partnership with famed design company Junk Gypsy. The partnership will officially kick off during Texas Antiques Week. A Junk Gypsy special after-hours shopping and wine tasting event will feature Winemaker Sandy Walheim and a Junk Gypsy book signing on Friday March 31st at 5 p.m. With a rich history steeped in American native myth and early American winemaking, the Sonoma County winery will showcase its varietals via Facebook live broadcasts. This partnership celebrates the treasures, people, places and history that shaped this great country.
The story of the Virginia Dare Winery, now revitalized by Francis Ford Coppola and located in northern Sonoma County, began with North Carolina’s first commercial winery, Medoc Vineyard, which opened in 1835. Two businessmen, known as the Garrett brothers, purchased the property in 1865 calling it Garrett & Company. They began producing the Virginia Dare label which quickly became one of the nation’s top selling wines. With the start of Prohibition in 1919, Garrett & Company was forced to move, first to Brooklyn, New York, and then to Cucamonga, California, where the business transformed into the Virginia Dare Winery. It was one of the first wineries to sell wine after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 and was considered a booming business for much of the late 40s and 50s, but eventually saw turmoil and nearly faded into history.
Today, a major focus of Virginia Dare Winery is to celebrate the genesis of American winemaking through various stories and partnerships that have prevalent Americana components and themes. The winery’s partnership with Junk Gypsy is an ideal connection, as it highlights two creative companies that value storytelling through design, soul and roots.
ABOUT THE FAMILY COPPOLA
The Family Coppola encompasses all of the things Francis loves most – cinema, wine, food, resorts, and adventure – and embraces quality, authenticity and pleasure as a backbone to each of these vibrant business endeavors. Anchored in Sonoma County, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, known for the superior level of quality and integrity, is, as Francis puts it, “a wine wonderland, a park of pleasure where people of all ages can enjoy all the best things in life: food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming and performances of all types. A place to celebrate the love of life.” Coppola’s second foray into Sonoma County came in 2015 with the launch of Virginia Dare Winery, American wines since 1835, ushering in a new era of elevated quality and vineyard-specific wines. The Coppola Family Hideaways are a collection of unique properties where adventure meets serenity. Drawing upon inspiration from his film career and travels around the globe to the far reaching corners of the world, Francis created each resort embracing its off-the-beaten-track location, making it an ideal destination for exploring the natural wonders of the area while relaxing in tranquil surroundings. Additionally, The Family Coppola operates a venerable film production company, American Zoetrope; the award-winning all-literary magazine, Zoetrope: All-Story; Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco’s iconic Sentinel Building in North Beach; and Mammarella Foods, an authentic line of premium organic pastas and sauces. www.TheFamilyCoppola.com.
ABOUT JUNK GYPSY
In 1998 Texas sisters, Amie and Jolie Sikes, and their mom, Janie, started The JUNK GYPSY Company with a dream, love of the open road and a slight flea market addiction. Staying true to their core values, the Sikes family has built a successful business that beckons to the free spirit and dreamer in everyone. In addition to designing, creating and building merchandise – everything from apparel to jewelry to custom furniture – the family hosts events like the bi-annual Texas cowpasture tradition JUNK-o-RAMA Prom, and is called upon to create and transform spaces for country music artists and Hollywood stars. Projects include Miranda Lambert’s tour bus, wedding reception and developing her signature logo; Dierks Bentley’s Airstream; an airstream for Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Sadie Robertson’s Sweet Sixteen party and many other events ranging from backstage lounges to stage couture. Their varied endeavors include 3 seasons of a television series on Great American Country & HGTV, entitled “JUNK GYPSIES,” and several specials including: “Endless Yard Sale” and “Garage Sale Wars” on HGTV. Other projects include 3 exclusive lines with Pottery Barn Teen, and the release of their New York Time’s bestselling book, Junk Gypsy: Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wonder and Wander in fall 2016. For more information about The JUNK GYPSY Company and the JUNK GYPSY store in Round Top, Texas please visit www.gypsyville.com.
