Linda and Lucca's Line on Wine

Linda and Lucca set out on another day of visiting wineries in the Sonoma Valley!

First stop:

The highest elevation vineyards in Sonoma up to 2400 ‘ is one of the most beautiful estates in wine country,

A small producer with fabulous Sauvignon Blanc and Lucca loves tasting the cork of course;

Their great reds will be released in the future….beautiful property and beautiful people.

Second Stop:

A small producer of bio-dynamic varietals

Lucca loved the scent of the vineyards

Little dog meets big dog: 

Great place for views, tapas and fabulous wines married with dog envy.

Linda and Lucca

Linda and Lucca's Line on Wine

Time to enjoy the sunshine and roses, it’s wine time in California.  Lucca loves to travel the backroads to visit the obscure estates nestled in the mountain ranges which cradles wine country.  This winery has the most beautiful views in the appellation and this region also joins Sonoma Valley which is very unique in the world of wine.

Enjoy not only the bubbly but also the great still wines,  Lucca loves them too!!

Come visit, let me know  where you would like to see Lucca travel next, we also include San Francisco and he’ll be flying high with me shortly.

Linda and Lucca

An Evening in the Russian River Valley!

A few weeks ago, the entire Viviani team went out for a two-day working field trip, to learn all about what the Russian River Valley has to offer.

Our first day began with a visit to a local winery, which was absolutely magnificent. It's located in the small town of Sebastopol, just about  15 minutes away from Santa Rosa.

It is a beautiful winery that specializes in Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are absolutely wonderful. The winery itself is quite modern, and was designed by a local architect, well known for designing wineries in the area. After enjoying a tour of the property, we sat down to enjoy some wine and industry chit chat. That's what it's all about, right?

After our time at the winery, we all departed to the hotel that we were staying at for the night: The Farmhouse Inn and Spa.
Our first impression was WOW. It was a gloomy day in the valley, and the yellow buildings really perked us right up. After a quick check in, we arrived in our rooms. The rooms were absolutely beautiful. Not only were they large in size, but they were designed with great detail and with luxury in mind.

Because we were on a working field trip, we got to our meetings!

It was time for dinner, and we had earned a break! We all headed down to the property's 1 Michelin starred restaurant. Expectations were high, due to what we had heard about the restaurant, and we were not let down. The meals were all perfectly presented (and tasted wonderful too!), the service was friendly yet professional, the restaurant's ambiance was not too quiet yet not too noisy. We left dinner happy and full.

The next morning, we headed out for one more winery visit, and then it was time to get back to the real world.

This winery is out farther in the valley, but worth it! It is more rustic in design, but is luxury all the way. From the lush gardens on the property to the redwood-lined walls in the tasting room, we knew this was a great place to send our clients.

We had a lunch prepared for us, so it was time to tour the property and then sit down to learn about the wines.
Our lunch was beautiful, and the company was pleasant.

All in all, our trip to the Russian River Valley was absolutely memorable, and we can't wait to send our clients there!!

The Green and Beautiful Napa Valley!

There are so many businesses in the Napa Valley that are taking the initiative to be environmentally friendly, so as to preserve the amazing region we call home.

One business that we recognize as a great partner of ours, is the Napa Valley Wine Train. The Wine Train runs on 100% compressed natural gas. Here is a description, from the Train's website: "CNG is natural gas that is compressed – literally compacted – to pressures above 3,100 pounds per square inch. It remains clear, essentially odorless and smokeless, is non-corrosive and is an efficient fuel source. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

By and large, it is. Natural gas can be produced at a cost lower than gasoline or diesel. And, here is the biggie: according to the California Energy Commission, natural gas vehicles show an average reduction in ozone-forming emissions of 80 percent compared to gasoline vehicles.
“It’s a major breakthrough, because we are the really the only ones doing this. It is kind of the wave of the future – saving diesel, reducing smoke emissions,” says Napa Valley Railroad’s COO Gregg Evensen.
“This is a modern new technology; this is a brand new engine – still running our old equipment. This thing is really a clean air vehicle.”

Along with the Wine Train, hundreds of wineries are doing what they can do become certified organic, or "Napa Green". While most wineries are now practicing organic farming, it is a daunting task to become certified, and here is a link that describes all that the wineries must do: Click Here.

If you can imagine how difficult it is for a winery to become a certified 'Green' facility, it is a feat all it's own to become a 'Green Hotel'. One of our many hotel partners, Bardessono, is located in Yountville, and is one of the Napa Valley's newest hotels. It is a beautiful property with so much to offer, but they have also done their part in minimizing their carbon footprint. To find out how they did this, Click Here.

A lot of transportation companies are using hybrid vehicles to help keep their emissions as low as possible, which really helps keep our air clean!

Let us put together a Napa Valley trip for you or your clients that will highlight all of the 'Green' companies in the area. Imagine checking into Bardessono, driving in hybrid vehicles for your wine tour, visiting all certified organic wineries, and having dinner or lunch in the Wine Train!

Thank you to all of our local environmentalists!!