01.28.10
From the issue Feathered Frenzy
Wine Flight
Pair wine tasting with bird-watching at a Tuscan villa perched atop a Sonoma hill. Viansa Winery sits on a 90-acre wetland preserve that's become a popular stopover for hundreds of species of birds along the Pacific Flyway. Back in 1990 Viansa teamed up with Ducks Unlimited to restore this tract of land to its original state. Today, the winery's expansive, elevated patio overlooks the vineyard all the way to the bird-populated wetlands and beyond to the Bay. A $5 tasting fee lets you sip Italian varietals like Barbera and Primitivo while strolling the patio on the lookout for ducks, Canada geese, swans, and shorebirds. Binoculars are beneficial for spying the birds up close, but even without them the sprawling vistas offer a bird's-eye view of Sonoma's landscape. Enjoy the flight.
Viansa Winery, 25200 Arnold Dr., Sonoma; 800-995-4740. The winery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
