Director of The Godfather Francis Ford Coppola knows all about pairing pizza and wine: His Sonoma County, California, winery, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, hosted its third annual “Perfect Your Pizza” contest this year.
Home pizza chefs will have the chance to submit their own original pizza recipe and wine pairing for a chance to win “the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy for pizza and wine lovers” or a $25,000 prize. Four finalists will also receive a free trip to Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma County and compete for the grand prize in a live cooking competition in October.
Now in its third year, the Perfect Your Pizza contest allows pizza and wine lovers to put their recipe-making skills to the test and explore their love for this tried-and-true combination. In 2024, the Grand Prize has been upgraded to include the option of a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid trip to Italy. The winner and one guest will fly straight to Rome to get the inside scoop on an exclusive tour of the Italian capital’s world-famous pizza scene. From Rome, the winner will travel to Naples, the birthplace of the Neapolitan pizza, where they will enjoy five-star accommodations and a curated, cheese- and crust-packed itinerary that highlights the city’s unique and passionate pizza culture, savored in every bite.
Related: What’s troubling your pizzeria? Get solutions from our experts at PMQ’s Pizza Power Forum in Atlanta, September 4-5
The Italian dream trip for pizza lovers is the latest creative outlet unveiled to honour the winery’s belief in harmonizing the equally delicious worlds of wine and pizza, with the launch in 2023 of a public hotline dedicated to pizza and wine pairing tips.
The prize money has been increased and a final cooking competition to crown the winner will take place at the winery in Geyserville, California on October 12. The event is open to the public and guests can watch the contestants prepare their pizzas, try their own pairings, enjoy wine tastings and more. Tickets can be purchased on the Francis Ford Coppola Winery website beginning September 9.
“Our mission is to forge a stronger connection between pizza and wine and show Americans that the right wine can take the pizza experience to the next level,” said Gabriella Becker, vice president of marketing for Coppola Wines. “In the spirit of finding the perfect pairing of Coppola Wines and pizza, we’re excited to offer an opportunity to travel to the hometown of pizza to inspire wine lovers and pizza lovers around the world.”
To keep the bar high for the Perfect Your Pizza contest, Coppola once again tapped one of the nation’s leading pizza authorities, Dan Richer, who said: The New York Times Bestselling cookbooks, The joys of pizza: everything you need to know. A recipe bank (with high-resolution photos) that he custom-created to support the competition is available upon request.
Entries for the “Perfect Your Pizza” contest will open on July 1st and close on August 31st. Participants can: translation: We provide ingredient lists, full recipes, and the inspiration stories behind the entries.
