2016 PORCH

Viscon-Cellars-PORCH-2016-Rose-of-Syrah

2016 PORCH
Rosé of Syrah
Rattlesnake Hills
13.4% Alc. by Vol.

Our 2016 PORCH is a Rosé of Syrah from Konnowac Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. This wine was fermented and aged in 100% Stainless Steel tanks. 

The name PORCH for me signifies a wine that can be enjoyed on a sunny day on the Porch, deck or patio or wherever you find your peaceful solace.  We even break out a bottle Rose’ in the dead of winter when we just need to put our spirits into a summertime mood.

As it swirls in your glass, the wine gives aromas of warm strawberry fields. Flavors of cranberries balanced with ripe summer plums, finishing with slight tannins and a hint of spice, which are key characteristics of Washington State Syrah.

Buy Now

2016 Perseverance

Viscon-Cellars-Perseverance-2016-Viognier

2016 Perseverance
Perseverance
Rattlesnake Hills
13.4% Alc. by Vol.

The 2016 Perseverance is 100% Viognier from Konnowac Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. 

Fermented and aged in 100% Stainless Steel tanks, the amazing characteristics of this fruit shine through.

This Viognier has a soft golden color, aromas of honeysuckle, flavors of pineapple, finishing crisp and refreshing. Perfect with appetizers or as a simple glass on the patio. 

The label on our 2016 Perseverance is a one of a kind piece from Seattle Artist Jesse Link. It depicts the need to “Persevere” and find the optimism in all. 

In our home, we often marvel at our youngest daughter’s one track mind to get what she wants at any cost and note that her “Perseverance” will be a valuable asset in her future.  We couldn’t help but recognize the same perseverance in our efforts to bring this delicious wine to your table. 

Viscon Cellars is a family-owned West Seattle winery focused on small lot production, sourcing fruit from premier Washington grape growers. We believe that great wine should be a part of everyday life.  We make and share approachable wines, delicious when paired with an everyday or special meal, or simply enjoyed with friends.

Buy Now

2013 Long Road Red

Viscon-Cellars-Long-Road-Red-2013-Cabernet-Sauvignon

2013 Long Road Red
Cabernet Sauvignon
Horse Heaven Hills
14.0% Alc. by Vol.

Long Road Red is the signature Cabernet Sauvignon in our line-up. The name is derived from our journey and commitment to make a wine that represents the beauty and complexity of this majestic old world grape. Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon is like no other. The Long Road is well traveled.

The 2013 Long Road Red is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. This wine was aged in 100% once used French oak barrels for 36 months, creating a soft, well-balanced, fruit forward wine.

The dark color of this wine shows depth and is a hint of the rich flavors you will experience.
Smells of ripe black cherry and warm plums compliment tastes of freshly picked blackberries with a savory subtle warm vanilla finish that lingers.

Buy Now

2013 UNFORESEEN Cabernet Franc

Viscon-Cellars-Unforeseen-2013-Cabernet-Franc

2012 UNFORESEEN
Cabernet Franc
Yakima Valley
13.2% Alc. by Vol.

Unforeseen is a beautiful surprise at our winery. Cabernet Franc is typically used as a blending wine. However this Cab Franc would not stand for second billing. While creating the wines for our 2012 release, this wine continued to impress on its own. Not one to deviate from the plan, I kept trying to blend out this wine into other wines in our lineup. This Cab Franc would have nothing to do with it, kept shining on its own. I finally gave in and let it stand on its own, and stand it has.  

The 2012 Unforeseen is 98% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 30 months in 100% French oak, once filled, this wine earned a home in our wine offering.

The dark red ruby color invites you to lift the glass and swirl and smell. The smell is warm and inviting, hints of spice with bright red raspberries. Tastes of bing cherries and cola, this wine finishes with a slight hint of warm toast. 

Buy Now

Viscon Cellars to Feature Intrigue Chocolate Co. in Wine and Chocolate Pairings

Intrigue-chocolate-company-Viscon-Cellars-pairing

Now that "Dry January" is passed us....We are happy to announce that we have partnered with Intrigue Chocolate Co. located in Pioneer Square in Seattle, to feature three of their amazing chocolate truffle varieties paired with three of our wines. Come in and sample these great wine and chocolate pairings Friday 2/3 from 5-9 pm, Saturday 2/4 from 2-7 pm, Thursday 2/9 from 6-9 pm (West Seattle Art Walk), again on Friday 2/10 from 5-9 pm and Saturday 2/11 from 2-7 pm.

We will have all the wines available for bottle sales and a selection of Intrigue Chocolate's 12 pack Truffles for sale.

West Seattle's Viscon Cellars to feature the work of local artist Lindsay Peyton

SEATTLE – Jan.4. 2017 – With shared Texan roots, winemaker Ben Viscon and painter Lindsay Peyton discovered a fast friendship and a kindred creative spark in West Seattle. Their respective mediums may differ, but both Peyton and Viscon are driven by a passion to make beautiful things. And now both of their creations will be featured side-by-side. Peyton’s work will be on display in the Viscon Cellars tasting room, located at 5910 California Ave SW in West Seattle, from January through March.

Peyton will be on site during the West Seattle Art Walk from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month – Jan. 12, Feb. 9 and March 9. The show comes on the heels of Peyton’s recent museum show in Houston, as well as a unique interactive installation in Issaquah over the summer.

“The Viscon Cellars exhibit will feature all new paintings,” Peyton said. “None of the paintings have been shown anywhere before, so that is always exciting for me.” Peyton said she chose recent work that fits the character and identity of Viscon Cellars.

“Viscon Cellars is such a community gathering spot, a place that brings together friends and neighbors,” she said. “I am selecting work that has that feeling for me, whether it is a painting of a favorite Seattle bar or a friend’s living room where I spent a lot of time. I also did a painting of the Viscon Cellars tasting room, inspired by Ben and his passion for wine.”

Both Peyton and Viscon are from the Lone Star State, which is how the artist and winemaker originally bonded. “When I first came into Viscon Cellars, I noticed a Texas license plate on the shelf,” Peyton said. “That’s how I learned Ben is from Texas too. We started talking and became instant friends.”

This will be the first time Peyton’s work is shown within the city limits of her current home of Seattle.   “That is super meaningful to me,” she said. “I'm extremely grateful to Ben for the opportunity. Being in my neighborhood allows me to invite new friends who have never seen my work.”

The Viscon Cellars tasting room is open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays. The space opened in 2014, a major milestone for the winery that owner and operator Viscon built from the ground up. What began as time spent volunteering with local wineries eventually blossomed into creating his own. “I’ve always had an innate curiosity about the science, the art and the romance behind wine,” Viscon said. “I got bitten by the bug while volunteering, then eventually decided to get serious about it.” He went back to school for winemaking and grape growing, while working more than 60 hours a week at his day job.             “I studied every night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.,” he said. “After graduating, I would consult with local wineries, and take some vacation time from my day job during harvest to help out where I could.”

By 2011, Viscon Cellars was born.

“That is when I made my first commercial vintage,” Viscon said. “We released those wines in August of 2014, which is when the tasting room opened.”

His story left an impression on Peyton.

“Ben Viscon is extremely inspiring,” she said. “He left a corporate job to take a chance on a creative dream. He is so thoughtful about the wines that he makes. I feel like he and I are similar in that aspect. We both put a lot of time and effort into what we make.” She is also struck by the fact that Viscon makes all the wines himself – and runs every aspect of the business with only help from his wife and a few friends.  “It’s an amazing effort,” she said. “Similarly, my paintings take months to make. We both put everything we have into what we create, heart and soul. That's why I want everyone to meet Ben.”

Showcasing local artists like Peyton is part of the vision Viscon has for his tasting room. 

“I love the arts,” he said. “My family owned some art galleries in El Paso, where I grew up. My dad had a kind of combination art gallery and artist supply studio that he owned and ran. As a kid, I worked with him all the time on weekends and summer breaks. I gained an appreciation for all forms of art.”

With his tasting room, he wants to help local artists share and sell their work.  “Now that I am a small business owner myself, it is important to me to support art,” he said. “I want to feature local artists and help them tell their story. It is also a conversation piece with my customers. They come in for the wine, and then they start noticing the walls are full of beautiful art and start asking questions.”

Peyton and Viscon both believe that her art and his tasting room share a similar warmth.

“I do think the tasting room is a natural fit for my art,” Peyton said. “The space is definitely unique. Everyone loves the wine -- and talking to Ben and his family. It definitely has that pub feel -- a place where you're not necessarily there for the drink, but to talk to the owner or run into a neighbor. It has this warm, inviting feel. I want people to feel like they can walk into the interiors and spend time in them.”

Which is exactly how Viscon describes Peyton’s work.

“When Lindsay paints a room, she captures the essence and the warmth of the space,” Viscon said. “She can portray the essence of a place and you feel like you have been there. You see it and think, ‘Oh, I could just go sit on that chair, or I could just be right there and have a drink.’ Her work is warm in the sense that you can kind of tell there have been souls in the rooms she paints, like they are still there.”

For more information about the artist, visit lindsaypeytonart.com.

For more information about Viscon Cellars, visit visconcellars.com.

Viscon Cellars Long Road Red Cabernet Sauvignon wins Double Platinum

We are honored to report that our 2011 Long Road Red just picked up a "Best of the Best" award from Wine Press Northwest. (Two of our 2012 offerings, the Unforeseen and the Heart Box Red, earned Gold awards.)

That's our double platinum winner  third from the left.

That's our double platinum winner  third from the left.

How the Platinum is Conducted

Wine Press Northwest created the Platinum Judging in 2000 as a way to determine some of the best wines of the Pacific Northwest.

To accomplish this, we chart more than 40 professionally judged wine competitions worldwide to track the gold medals won by fruit from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. In 2016, Northwest wineries were awarded more than 1,600 gold medals at professional judgings.

These wines are categorized and judged blind during three days by three panels of wine experts, who award wines with Double Platinum, Platinum, Double Gold and Best Buy. A wine is awarded a medal based on how a majority of the judges voted. In the case when all the judges on a panel deem the wine a Platinum, that wine is awarded a unanimous Double Platinum.

DOUBLE PLATINUM

Viscon Cellars 2011 Long Road Red Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley • $32
Ben Viscon relied on Lewis Vineyard and an 18-month barrel program to produce what’s now a subtle Cab that shows nice handling of tannins, good varietal expression and has good aging potential for handful of more years. (125 cases, 13.4% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold).

Read the full list of winners here.

2013 Heart Box Red Merlot

2013 Heart Box Red.JPG

2013 Heart Box Red
Merlot
Yakima Valley AVA
13.5% Alc

Heart Box Red will capture your heart. We named this wine after our oldest daughter’s practice of catching and locking our kisses in her “heart box” so she could take the kisses out whenever she needed one. She designed this label when she was 3 years old, it has been an icon of this wine ever since. Like us, you will find yourself wishing for one more pour of this delightful wine. 

The 2013 Heart Box Red Merlot is from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. This wine was aged for 24 months in 50% American Oak barrels and 50% French Oak barrels then blended. The deep red color glistens on your glass as you swirl, leading to smells of ripe berries and a hint of vanilla. Tastes of warm black cherries are complimented with subtle mocha flavors releasing soft tannins and finishing with a velvety light toast.

Buy Now

2014 The Betrayal Chardonnay

2014 The Betrayal.JPG

2014 The Betrayal
Chardonnay
Domanico Vineyard
Yakima Valley AVA
13.6% Alc

The Betrayal is made from some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in Washington State. The grapes came from Domanico Vineyard in Prosser, Washington -- a small, family-owned vineyard that has been yielding premium wines in Washington since the mid-1970s.  

The name “The Betrayal” stems from this winemaker's desire to make a Chardonnay that can honor its place of origin while bringing out the best from this varietal by utilizing winemaking techniques that would coax out the beautiful flavors and finish.  

This 100% Chardonnay was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. The result is a wine that has a beautiful golden straw color and scents of warm apricot and cantaloupe.  
The flavor is warm and creamy with hints of baked apples and graham crackers, finishing with smooth tropical fruit.