Sonoma County, California Wine Estate Kicks Off Third Annual “Perfect Your Pizza” Competition
If you love pizza, wine and Italy, then this is for you! The iconic Sonoma County wine estate behind the award-winning Diamond Collection wine brand, is holding its third annual “Perfect Your Pizza” competition. Entries open on July 1 for aspiring home cooks to submit an original pizza recipe and wine pairing for the chance to win $25,000 and the title of “Pizza and Wine Pairing Champ.” Four finalists will receive an expenses-paid trip to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery to compete in a cook-off for the grand cash prize.
The grand prize this year includes an epic trip to pizza’s homeland, Rome and Naples. The Francis Ford Coppola Winery is encouraging home cooks to submit an original pizza recipe and wine pairing for the chance to win the ultimate, all-expenses-paid pizza-and-wine-lover’s trip of a lifetime to Italy with a guest.
Italian getaway includes two direct flights to Rome, where travelers will be guided on a specialized tour of the world-famous pizza within Italy’s capital city. From Rome, the winner and their guest will travel to Naples, the birthplace of Neapolitan pizza. Here, five-star accommodations await, along with a curated itinerary of cheese-filled expeditions to highlight the city’s pizza culture. Winners can also opt for a $25,000 cash prize instead of the trip.
Before the booking, however, four finalists will also receive a fully comped trip to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma County to compete in a live cook-off this October for the grand prize. The public event at the Geyserville winery estate will take place on October 12, and attendees can watch the contestants make their pizza entries, enjoy them with the suggested pairings, and more. Tickets to the pizza party can be purchased beginning September 9 via the Francis Ford Coppola Winery website.
Submissions for “Perfect Your Pizza” open on July 1. Contestants can enter by visiting www.coppolaperfectyourpizza.com and providing their ingredient lists, a full recipe, and the story inspiration behind their unique creations, plus a short video or photo of the pizza. Contestants can also enter by uploading their creations to Instagram with an image or short video, recipe, inspiration notes, and a suggested Francis Coppola Diamond Collection wine pairing, with the hashtags #CoppolaPerfectYourPizza24 and #21+. Contestants must be 21 or older at the time of entry and be legal residents of the United States. The deadline to enter is 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31, 2024.