Sonoma's Viansa Winery Changes Hands

New owners plan to expand popular tourist destination, sell its wines nationwide

Tim Fish

Posted: Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Members of the Sebastiani family have sold their Viansa Winery and Italian Marketplace, a Tuscan-style tourist destination in Sonoma's Carneros region, for $31 million to a young Napa firm, 360 Global Wine Company.

The deal, which was expected to close on June 28, includes the Viansa brand and inventory, as well as the hilltop visitor center along Highway 121. Also included are a nearby facility where the bulk of Viansa's wines are produced and 175 acres of land that encompasses 23 acres of vineyards, 1,000 olive trees and a 90-acre wetland preserve.

360 Global, which was previously named Knightsbridge Fine Wines, is a three-year-old public company that produces, exports and markets wines from around the world. The company has holdings in California, Europe, Australia and South America, with brands such as Kirkland Ranch Estate in Napa and Bodegas Anguinan Estate in Argentina. Its total production is currently 150,000 cases, but CEO Joel "Jake" Shapiro said plans call for expanding to 500,000 cases within three years.

The company was attracted to Viansa, Shapiro said, by its strong wine club sales and its location along one of Northern California's most active wine-tourism routes.

Viansa produces more than 23 different bottlings a year, totaling about 50,000 cases, but its main focus is Italian-style wines such as Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio. Although the wine and gourmet food items are currently sold exclusively through the winery, Shapiro plans to start selling Viansa wines at retail shops and restaurants around the country.

"We think we can double or triple Viansa's sales over the next 36 months," Shapiro said.

The sale is the latest chapter in a tumultuous history for the Sebastiani family in Sonoma Valley. Sam and Vicki Sebastiani started Viansa in 1989 after Sam was ousted as the president of Sebastiani Vineyards, which his grandfather had founded in 1904. In its 16 years, Viansa has grown into one of the region's most popular tourist sites, drawing 300,000 visitors annually with its bus-friendly gourmet market and picnic area.

Last year, Sam and Vicki transferred ownership of Viansa to their seven children. After much discussion, the children opted to sell the winery. Only Jon Sebastiani, 34, who previously served as Viansa's president, will stay on under the new owners, serving as president of 360 Global.

"It was really Sam and Vicki's project so it was a collective decision among the siblings that it was best for the family to sell," Jon Sebastiani said. "Viansa is a very unique business model, and this is an opportunity to mature to the next level. For us to expand to national wholesale and retail, we needed to have much more funding and staff behind it."

Viansa's San Francisco wine bar, Enoteca Viansa, remains open, but Cucina Viansa, its deli on the Sonoma Plaza, has closed. An upscale Italian bistro will replace it later this summer.

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