Since its completion just six years ago, it has already become a significant Bay Area wildlife refuge. In the late 1980s, Sam and his wife, Vicki, purchased 175 acres in the Carneros wine region south of Sonoma. Creating the adjacent wetland, Sam says, was in the tradition of wildfowl conservation set by his vintner father, August. With the assistance and encouragement of Ducks Unlimited and biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game, a private, nearly permanent wetland was envisioned and designed for the lowest-lying 90 acres. Sam wanted to bear the cost of this himself, preferring not to seek tax-payer assistance Sam and the project encountered many frustrating months of delay due to local contention and governmental hurdles, with costs increasing immensely beyond original estimates.
Casual visitors can view the wetland with binoculars or a telescope, from the winery picnic area.
Nearby, Viansa's Italian Marketplace offers wine tasting and has delicious food, fine wines and other items for sale. For those who wish to see the wetland up close, a Madrone Audubon bird walk at Viansa is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 16. Watch for details in the next Leaves. A duck blind as well as level trails and levees provide easy access for observing birds, fish, frogs, dragonflies and other wild creatures. The winery and wetland are located on Highway 121, south of Sonoma and north of Highway 37.