Viansa
Glass Man, Orange County
Three tour buses in parking lot when we arrived. Not a good sign for an intimate tasting experience. We handed one of the pourers our coupon clipped from the Sonoma “101 things to do” magazine, and he looks it like I handed him a dead rat. He says, I’ve never seen this before. Is it legit?” He also asked me what my spit cup was for ( I always bring a cup to spit wine in, because it isn't a good idea to visit eight or nine wineries and dive if you are swallowing the wine). I noticed that there were not any spit buckets on the bar, and no water. One of the ladies pouring, Nicole, told him that the coupon is good, and some other guest just used one. See could see that I had no patience for that fool, so she announced that she would be serving us. My overall impression of the wine was that everything tasted about the same. Lots of people would not agree with me, because they were packing cases on to the tour buses. • 07 Athena Docetto, $14.50. Typical Docetto as we are familiar with them. Light-weight, watery. • 05 La Nebbia Nebbiolo, $14.50. Just ok. • 05 Piccolo Sangiovese, $25. Brighter than the above. Not worth $25. • 05 Thalia Sangiovese, $45. For $45, Hanna and Paradise Ridge blows this crap away. • 08 Barbera, $34. 300 cases produced. • 06 Fareta Primitivo, $35. • 06 Prindelo, (blend), $35.

Italian Elegance
Javier, Portland
Reminiscent of a Tuscan Villa, Viansa Winery is one of the more beautiful Wineries that I have visited in the past years. The simple elegance of the property was enough to overwhelm my senses. Surrounded not only by vineyards but by olive trees, the villa sits atop a hill overlooking the land. Once you enter the tasting room there are hand painted murals and Italian marble, these features only add to the experience when you are offered to taste Italian Varietal wines such as the Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio and Dolcetto. Viansa is truly a little taste of Italy.