WineCountry.IT Selection – Viansa Winery, Italian Marketplace & More
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| Viansa Winery atop a hill along Highway 121, at the edge of Sonoma County | |
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| Blooming flowers and trees along the path and stairway from the parking lot to the Reception Center | |
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| Inside Viansa Reception Center | |
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| Viansa Sauces | |
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| Some Viansa wines – from left: "Samuele" Cabernet Franc, "Pierina" Vernaccia, "Pacomio" Aleatico and "Augusto" Barbera. | |
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| Wine tasting at Viansa | |
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| Casa Podere, Viansa Hospitality Center in Sonoma County | |
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| Cucina Viansa Restaurant in downtown Sonoma | |
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| Enoteca Viansa, the wine tasting room at 334 Grant Street, in downtown San Francisco, | |
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| [Photographs by Viansa] | |
One such place is the Viansa Winery, located atop a hill along Highway 121, at the edge of Sonoma County. If you are a curious visitor from Italy, an Italian expatriate with a little nostalgia, or simply a lover of Italian wine and food, you should not miss a visit to Viansa whenever you are in Wine Country.
One bright late morning, that in this part of California passes for late fall or early winter, I was driving along Highway 37, off 101 toward Sonoma and Viansa Winery. As I was crossing the bridge over the Petaluma River listening to Tom Waits' raspy voice backed by a muted trumpet, I decided that I should write about Viansa.
Viansa was founded by Vicki and Sam Sebastiani in the early 1990's, when they left the well-known family business, the Sebastiani Winery in downtown Sonoma, to launch this adventure. The name, Viansa, is a contraction of VIcki ANd SAm.
Considering that there were over 1,000 wineries in California at the time, Sam and Vicki knew that they needed to take an original approach to avoid being just another winery from California.
That's one of the reasons why Sam focused mainly on little known, Italian grapes to produce his wines and Vicki followed with her love for gourmet food by creating a wealth of sauces based upon, or inspired by, Italian traditional regional recipes. In addition, they decided to forgo the shelf-space fight and sell their products exclusively at the winery or by way of catalog.
It was a winning idea and, to this day, you cannot find Viansa wines at restaurants or at stores, you must visit the winery, order through the catalog, or subscribe to one of their online wine clubs.
The Drive There
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco and head north on Highway 101 passing Sausalito and Larkspur Landing and go past San Rafael. Make a left on Highway 37 toward Sonoma, drive past the Novato Marina and make a right on Highway 121, kitty corner from the Infineon Raceway.
When I first visited in 1993, Viansa was the very first winery arriving from Marin County and sat somewhat alone and isolated, at the top of a hill. These past 10 years have seen the vineyards overtake all the pasture land along Carneros Highway, all the way down 121 and around Viansa. Now, the first winery on Highway 121 driving north from Marin is the recently opened Roche Vineyards.
Viansa still sits atop its hill, only now it's surrounded by trees planted by Sam and Vicki, and wonderful roses welcome visitors as they walk up from the parking lot, and head into the reception center. It is a little like stepping into a corner of Italy recreated in California.
The Winery, Tasting Room & Reception Center
Wines, typical products, cheeses, wine and cookbooks, casual clothing and wine paraphernalia are all around and the staff, who speaks Italian, Spanish German, Austrian, Swedish and Finnish, in addition to English, is there to help you find your way around.
Open jars of Vicki's sauces and plates of crackers invite visitors to help themselves and dip into such delicacies as Basil Pesto, Olive Caper Pesto, Sicilian Roasted Pepper Antipasti, Sweet Red Pepper Condimento, Spicy Peach Sauce, Figs & Caramelized Shallots.
Then there are the wines.
Provided that you are not the designated driver, or are traveling by bus or with an organized group, just dig in, starting with delicate whites such as the appreciated Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, or try the lesser known Tocai Friulano or the "Pierina" Vernacccia, named after the grandmother of the current generation of Viansa owners.
Then go on to the reds, the names of many of which you've probably never heard, that is, unless you happen to be Italian.
Start maybe with the "Pacomio" Aleatico, named after grandfather Pacomio Scarafoni, a fragrant wine made with Aleatico grapes, that appeals also to white wine lovers. Alternatively start in on the parade reds, beginning with either the "Piccolo" ("Little") Sangiovese, so called because is the lightest of Viansa's Sangioveses, perfect to pair with either pasta or pizza, or the "Athena" Dolcetto, a blend of Dolcetto, Muscat and Sangiovese grapes.
If you would rather go into something more substantial from the beginning, consider starting with either Prindelo, a blend of Primitivo, Zinfandel and Teroldego grapes, or the newly created "Farneta", made with 100% Primitivo grapes from Sonoma Valley, whose label reproduces the monastery where, in the 19th century, a young Samuele Sebastiani learned how to make wine. Curiously, the Primitivo grape is native of the Apulia region of Italy but has the same DNA as the American Zinfandel. Another good start, or a way to continue, is with "Samuele" Cabernet Franc, named after great-grandfather Samuele Sebastiani, the founder of the original Sebastiani Winery and founder of the Sebastiani dynasty in Sonoma County. The "Augusto" Barbera, dedicated to grandfather Augusto Sebastiani who was a great fan of Barbera, is another one that you should try if you like the Asti-style Barbera of Italian tradition.
There are more to try however, than you might want to do in a single go. If you are heading to Wine Country from the City, hold on and go to Cucina Viansa, the restaurant in Sonoma Plaza, across from historic Mission San Francisco Solano in downtown Sonoma. There you can order some delicious food and pair it with some of the wines that you did not get to taste at the winery.
On the other hand, if you are heading out of Wine Country and into the City, you can complete your wine tasting at the Enoteca Viansa, at 334 Grant Street, next to the Hotel Triton in downtown San Francisco and just blocks from Union Square, Chinatown and the Financial District. Wherever you do your tasting though, don't forget to taste Viansa Ossidiana. This elegant. powerful Cabernet Franc is the flagship Viansa wine, though it tastes great now with its flavors of black cherry, leather and ripe plum complemented by hints of vanilla, spice and smoke, remember that this wine was born to evolve beautifully in the cellar.
Spending the Night in Wine Country
If you are planning to spend the night in Wine Country, why not make it an Italian night in California, as guests of the Sebastiani family?
We suggest you check in at the Casa Podere as you head out of the winery. There you can relax for a while before driving to downtown Sonoma where you might want to visit the original Sebastiani Winery, wander around and enjoy the scenery. Don't forget to reserve a table at Cucina Viansa, right on the town square, to enjoy Italian style cuisine with a Tuscan flair paired to, what else, another great Viansa wine.
To SumIt All Up
Viansa is a very active company and, in addition to offering tours and tasting for the public, private tours, tastings and even lunches can be reserved at the winery. If you would like to organize a tour and tasting for your group, contact Norma Grossi-McLaughlin either via e-mail or by phone at 800-995-4740.
Norma, who by the way speaks fluent Italian, is the person to contact regarding participating in another exciting Viansa initiative: guided trips to Italy and Europe with particular focus on local fine foods and great wines.
| The complete wine list and prices (as of December 2004): | ||
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