The next time California has a wine glut - and given the cyclical nature of grape growing and winemaking that's virtually a certainty - Francis Ford Coppola will be ready.

As reported in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Coppola is asking Sonoma County public officials if he can build two large swimming pools at the former Chateau Souverain winery at Geyserville, which he acquired not long ago. (Coppola also owns Rubicon Estate in Napa Valley, but apparently has no plans to expand his tourist attractions there.)

Coppola's inspiration for the swimming pools actually doesn't have anything to do with building a couple of back-up fermentation vats or to provide an imaginative alternative to drinking wines he might not be able to sell. He just wants to provide children who accompany their parents on wine-country treks with a chance for some fun of their own, says Coppola's spokeswoman.

There's no hurry for the kids and their parents to get new swimming outfits, however. The project isn't expected to be finished for about two years. For more on the additions, check out the story here.