What does an Italian-American girl from Bay Ridge do after racking up Oscar and Emmy nominations for her acting?
Why she starts up her own wine business, of course.
Lorraine Bracco isn’t one to rest on her laurels — including her Academy Award nomination for “Goodfellas,” her several Emmy and Golden Globe noms from her “Sopranos” days and her recent work on NBC’s “Lipstick Jungle” — so the model-turned-actress decided that it was time to explore her passion for vino by launching Bracco Wines.
“Why not? I love it,” Bracco, 53, told GO Brooklyn. “I didn’t want to sell makeup and perfume. This was a fun thing to do. I go to Italy and go to all different vintners and pick out wine … This suited my personality a lot more.”
Bracco said her oenophilia took root when she lived in France in the 1970s and early ’80s, but she didn’t start actually bottling the stuff until two and a half years ago.
And now that her wines are in bottles, Bracco is busily meeting with restaurateurs to get them into the glasses of local diners. In January, she hosted a tasting at Austin’s Steakhouse on Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge, just a few blocks from Bracco’s childhood home on 85th Street and Seventh Avenue.
“I am what I am and my upbringing in Brooklyn was definitely a big part of that,” said Bracco. “It’s absolutely a happy homecoming.”
And for this entrepreneur, home, family and wine all go together.
“To me, life is absolutely about making dinner, going out to dinner with friends and family. That’s one of the best parts of life.”
Last week, Bracco threw a launch party for her wines at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan and was joined in the celebration by her “Sopranos” friends — and Brooklyn natives — Dominic Chianese and Steven Schirripa.
Although Bracco is a self-described “big red girl,” she has a range of wines in her portfolio: Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, rose, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Primitivo, Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva, Amarone Classico, Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino.
Bracco’s Chiantis are best with steak, while her dry rose “goes really well with seafood,” she said.
While Bracco might live a glamorous life, her wines don’t have Fifth Avenue price tags.
“My Montepulciano is really a staple, red table wine. I love it. It’s inexpensive, which I think is fabulous. It’s not an overpowering kind of wine. It’s a wine that should be consumed right away, compared to the Barolo, that you can keep in your cellar for a long time and would get better and increase in value.”
And while you can pop her Barolo in your cellar, Bracco said it’s “very drinkable. Great with a big meal, with meats and stews and things like that. It won’t smash you over the head.”
Before you smash yourself over the head at the news that yet another celebrity has started making wine — joining filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola; comic Dan Akyroyd; rocker Sting; the “smart” Smothers Brother, Tom; football great Joe Montana; Met star Tom Seaver; and even NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon — cut Bracco a little slack: She’s a wine pioneer in an important way.
“I’m the first woman coming out with a line,” she said. “I like that. I’m the first actress. Wish me luck. Women are starting to get into wines a lot more, which is great. There are some, like Gina Gallo, who took over her father’s or grandfather’s business, but compared to 20,000 men, maybe there are 1,000 women.”
Bracco’s appreciation for food developed at her family table, so perhaps it’s not surprising that when it came to selling her wines she turned to her big brother Sal for his expertise.
“Sal is retired, and he’s young at 57, but I said that’s too bad for you. I want you to help me with [Bracco Wines],” said Bracco. “His experience was head of sales for a medical company. I said, ‘listen, what’s the difference between selling medical equipment or wine?’ [The partnership] has been great, I must say.”
While one might not be surprised to see a celebrity’s face on their foods, a la Paul Newman, you won’t see Bracco’s mug on her bottles.
“We thought that would have been cheesy,” said Bracco with a laugh. Instead, her bottles feature old tarot cards with figures holding grapes and cups. “It’s cute and different.”
At the moment, the actress said she has a lot on her plate with expanding the distribution of the wines — she’s hoping to sell 45,000 cases in 2008 — but she has big dreams for the future of Bracco Wines.
“I would eventually like to blend my own wines,” said Bracco. “But this is a baby company, right now.”
For more information about Bracco Wines, visit www.BraccoWines.com.