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Periscope Cellars
Rating Details »
Category: Wineries
1410 62nd StreetSte B
(between Union Pacific Railroad & Hollis St)
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 655-7827
- Hours:
Wed-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
49 reviews for Periscope Cellars
Really great wines - the best Rose ever! I went to a tasting here which led me to book Paulding and Co for my rehearsal dinner where we ran out of wine so they opened up and sold us some!
Really great wines, friendly owner and staff, supports local artists with the artwork..what's not to love?
OH! and their store room is the old "Stew room" from Top Chef Season 1.
I love this place. First of all, it's in a very unlikely location, but once inside you know you are among friends, and people who are passionate about great wines.
If you feel like some local wine tasting, served by knowledgeable people who know their wine and talk about it with enthusiasm and passion, then you can't do much better than Periscope.
I never got around to writing a Yelp Review after some holiday event they had last year (or earlier this year). But I must have remembered enjoying it because like instinct, I managed to find my way here on Saturday (on bike no less, sans GPS.) We'd just had some tastings at Two Mile and decided we were on the right track to continue drinking.
Periscope's wines have a lot of personality ... just like their winemaker Brendan. I like that their wine label changes each year. The rose in the mini bottles were really cute. I like things that come in mini sizes. I ended up buying a bottle of the pinot noir primarily because Brendan said it's his red headed stepchild. Even the soulless should get some love.
Everyone, put your heads down for a minute and pity my good friend, Dani. Why? Dani's birthday is January 20. Every four years, her birthday is completely upstaged by the Inaguration. Three of her birthdays were totally upstaged by one of the Bush dweebs being sworn into office. I don't care how traumatic your childhood was. This poor girl's mother came to her 1st grade class with cupcakes (and Dani's mom is quite the accomplished baker as evidenced by my growing muffin top) for her 8th birthday. Did the class care? No. They watched Bush Sr. get Inagurated. FOR SHAME! Dani's mom's baked goods were dissed in favor of Bush Sr.!
Fortunately, Dani's whole family were big Obama supporters. In fact, their refrigerator and cars proudly show their support. Dani and I shared some very interesting drunk texts on Election Night. As such, Dani was ok with sharing her 28th birthday with Obama getting sworn in. She was ok with me waiting until the weekend to celebrate with her so that I could go to Periscope for their Inaguration Party/Yes We Cab tasting.
That's right, the wine is called "Yes We Cab." And it was a delicious birthday wine for Dani to have when we celebrated her birthday later that weekend....before seeing "Evil Dead: The Musical" that is.
Be sure to try the "Deep Six" too. Also be aware that Charles Chocolates is walking distance from Periscope.
Tucked away in a former submarine warehouse of industrial Emeryville, this tasting room does not have the pomp or ammenities that one may find in Napa. It does have excellent wine with a passionate winemaker there to serve the wine and talk about it. We were also able to pre-taste the 2007 "future" wines and ended up getting some of those, too.
Highly recommended for locals who are tired of competing with tour buses in Napa.
So, last night we go here for an Obama celebration and to taste some of their great wine. Tina Tamale had some of her wares, selling for $4. Video going in the background of the inauguration. People flipping off Dubya and Cheney when they came on the screen.. Good clean fun.
We drank and then bought their new bottling of YesWe Cab..and solid cabernet. Also the Cosmic chocolates are amazing too. Then, on the video, they show Dubya's helicopter...and everyone goes, " buh byyyeee"
Nice place. good wine. Good people.
Talk about a hidden cavern, this place is fairly big, and completely hidden among a bunch of other plain facade buildings. In the dark of night, it looks like the kind of office area you'd find near airports, without any major effort made towards the front facade in terms of decor.
The Periscope itself has two large glass doors amid a large full glass view of the entrance, the main entrance is large with the right side flat and plain, and a slow ascent ramp leading up to a central area, which in turn leads two two other rooms on the right and another on the left.
It's all concrete and gray and plain vanilla, like the back corridors of office building basements, only more bright and spacious.
Those two rooms to the right are where the magic starts to happen.
The right room is very large and there's three long kitchen island type counters in front of you, and further back against the rear wall isa huge L-shaped kitchen. To the right are several picnic table style setups, maybe three or four. Must be great for teaching classes, either cooking or wine.
The left room is very interesting. It's large and long, with wine barrels stacked three high, but still spacious enough to have large parties.
This is a great place to have a largre venue standing room party, and if another is hosted here, I'd definitely consider going.
I'm definitely a fan!
Feel like wine tasting without making a trip to Napa or Sonoma -- Periscope Cellars is the perfect urban winery for blended red wines! Amidst plain office buildings, the winery is a bit hidden away. However, once through the main entrance, this place offers more than just great free wine tastings ($5 for a full glass).
Aside from wine tasting and a spacious cellar that showcases Periscope Cellars' wine barrels; you will also find an interesting gallery featuring works by local artists. On this particular occasion, science fiction and fantasy artworks and sculptures were on displayed. There is also a large kitchen where the San Francisco season of Top Chef was taped as well as a seating area.
I did not leave Periscope Cellars until I had purchased a 2006 Sangiovese bottle -- it was exceptionally smooth and simply delightful to drink! It was definitely worth the $22.
I will certainly be backed to Periscope Cellars not only for the wine tastings but also for another great event!
The sea supplies all of Captain Nemo's wants.
Periscope was stop #2 on our wine tour. We were warmly welcomed and poured generous samplings of their wines. Of course the Deep 6 was my favorite. *evil grin*
Nichole told us a little about the art gallery and we lingered in to take a peek. The pieces were slightly demented and whimsical. A few were placed upon a large canvas of jet black. I loved it. While we were looking, Nichole turned on the lights. Between the gallery and the cellar there is a kitchen/dining space where the San Francisco season of Top Chef was taped. Everyone in our group agreed that it would be a great space for an event.
Fred waved us on to the back, showed us around and gave us the history of the building, which led to the story behind the name of the winery. Then Brendan appeared and pulled the top off of the press. Nichole threw a superman punch to the wall of what was left of the grapes in the press. Some of the juiceless grapes were passed around so that we could see and feel the texture of what was left.
We made our way back up to the front and were generously ushered into tasting #2 - of Urbano Cellars, which prompted my biggest purchase of the day (See my Urbano Cellars review).
To say they were warm and welcoming doesn't seem to do them justice. They were knowledgeable, friendly and gracious. We lingered and chatted with them for much longer than we had expected.
Added bonus: The restrooms were some of the cleanest I've ever seen. I made people in our van go back in and use them.
The Periscope supplies all of my wants.
The second winery on our tour was Periscope Cellars in Emeryville. There are too many good things to say about this place for one review, you have to see & taste to believe me!! (After 6 East Bay Wineries, this was my favorite stop in conjunction with Urbano Cellars in the lobby).
Nichole served us and was a joyous hostess. We were able to try all five of their current wines including a 2006 Sangiovese which was so smooth and tasty I had to buy a bottle right then and there before I forgot.
Their wine maker, Brian was in house finishing up a batch of the 2008 Sangiovese (pressing the grapes) and took us on a bit of a tour of the place. Showed us the press and how it worked, opened it up for us and showed us what was produced as waste after the pressing was complete.
There are so many events which go on at Periscope Cellars you have to check out their web site to go and check them out. One of which is wine and yoga, no, I don't know what that is about but after a couple of glasses of their wine I would not be able to do any move requiring balance.
All I can say GO GO GO GO!!!! And bring your DD because they also allow Urbano Cellars to do their tasting in the tasting room too. So you get two for the price of one.
Fun Fact: The San Francisco season of Top Chef was taped in this space. The winery was just setting up shop and the judging room was in the cellar room/art gallery. The cooking spaces were located next door. Periscope still has one of the Kenmore Kitchens used in the taping.
Periscope, why you gotta be so fun, so good and so close to my office?
I mean seriously, I wanted to taper down on my alcohol intake and you're making it hard for me here.
Periscope was the 2nd winery of the day on our route and I believe I had more fun here than any of the wineries.
Maybe it was because they poured a very hefty serving for tastings and my buzz really kicked in? Or maybe it was meeting the winemaker Brandon? ::sigh:: He really was a doll and showed us the wine press and punched a big ol hole in this crusted wall of grapes. So hardcore!
Nichole was very helpful and treated us like old friends. I really felt the love here and appreciated learning about various packaging for wines as well as the use of screw tops vs. corks.
It was really cool to see how they made their wines right on site and to see their passion behind their work.
There is a cool little art gallery in here featuring local artists. I loved the featured artist's work, it had a Dio De Las Muertes feel to it. Right up my alley and definitely in the spirit of the coming Halloween holiday.
Since they have happy hour here the 2nd Wednesday of the month, I will most definitely be returning. When I do, I need to pick up a bottle of their 'Deep 6 California' varietal. It was my favorite one of all & somehow I managed to get sidetracked and forgot to purchase a bottle.
And by 'sidetracked' I mean super buzzed & distracted by hot manliness.
Ah, we felt the love.
When seven winos pile into a tiny tasting room, things can go either way. Some might be offended. Some might help us celebrate the wonder that is the East Bay.
Periscope rolled out the welcome met, offering a generous tasting and a one-on-one tour of the facilities. Great wines poured by people who love wine. Sangiovese was the standout--the grape I've sought all across the country.
The event space needs to be utilized--where's the first EB Elite event going to be?
Great tucked away urban winery, wines & staff with free tastings. For wine I recommend their current San Giovese & Deep 6. Bottles tend to be $20 and up.
They have a nice little gallery space showcasing a new artist each month as well. I hear they have fun events and look forward to going more in the future.
Periscope Cellars is one hell of a winery. It's also probably the only winery I've been to that could be described using the phrase "one hell of a." The winemaker is generally found in cowboy boots, jeans, and a t-shirt; none of this hoity-toity nose in the air wine snob crap. That said, it's not low-rent wine. If you want a $10 bottle of a decent Zin to take to your boss' dinner so you look like you care go elsewhere. If, on the other hand, it's not for a dinner with people you don't like and you're willing to shell out another Hamilton or two then you can't miss.
Both the winemaker and the tasting room manager are very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. My favorite thing about Periscope, and the reason I go there more than just the few times a year that I buy really good wine, is that they have a ton of events. In particular, every so often they have one thing or another going on where I can learn more about the winemaking process. They recently had an evening of demonstrations as part of this year's crush, which was great. They also do barrel tasting and sell futures, which is pretty neat and a good deal if you buy more than one bottle at a time.
We first went to Periscope Cellars during their "futures" tasting. They had opened up the barrels on many (or all?) of their 2007 wines and were giving us tastes of each individual pressing/grape/vintage. It was pretty amazing to try samples from all of their grapes before they were blended. We bought a bunch of "future" wines at greatly discounted prices. Now we just have to wait until August to get our hands on our spoils!
We've also been back there twice since the first futures visit. Both times, the winemaker Brendan was extremely friendly and he made our experiences really memorable. Their Deep 6 signature wine is really unique and great, and even though we normally stay in the $8-15 range for bottles, the Deep 6 is worth the extra cost. If you live anywhere near the area, you should stop by to visit during their free tasting weekend hours. Also, check their website for special events.
This place rules, and I'm not just saying this because I live so damn close. No, this place rules because they have fantastic wine, the best people working there, and the coolest setting of any winery I've ever been to.
The pours are generous, the art is always intriguing, the events always draw the most interesting people, and did I mention it's two blocks from where I live?
Seriously, even if you have to travel from (gasp) San Francisco, you owe it to yourself to get to this winery. Try the Sangiovese (my fav) or the Deep 6 (highly recommended by friends). Buy a bottle, a case, a whole damn barrel, just get some of that wine!
I was recommended by a friend to stop by and pick up a bottle of "Yes We Cab" for the inauguration. Upon arrival I had no clue what to expect considering the fact that I was in the industrial sector of Emeryville.
My favorite part about this winery was the fact that it's not over the top. Periscope promotes a boutique atmosphere complimented by an art gallery. The environment is very personable and the owner / wine maker Brandon was a pleasure to talk to.
Unfortunately, I was unable to taste all the wines, but did taste their 2005 reserve cab. It was extremely smooth and divine. I had the pleasure of drinking this wine with pasta and would love to buy another bottle.
Well done Periscope in satisfying my love for wine and providing a unique experience.
The first time I went to visit Periscope Cellars I accidentally attempted to enter through the back door, which of course, yielded no success. Not to be put off, I called Periscope's number and discovered my error. Word to the wise, do not trust Google's driving directions that tells you they are on 63rd street - that is unless you're making a delivery to their loading dock. The Tasting Room is on 62nd street, half way down the block on the Right, heading West from Hollis toward Emeryville's USPS Office and the train tracks.
Anyhow, when my boyfriend and I finally made it into the tasting room I was very excited and looking forward to sampling all of Periscope's beautiful red wines. We milled around the artistic displays for a while, allowing the previous party at the tasting bar to finish their transactions and leave. After proper introductions, we chatted with Brendan about all of the different packaging ideas they were considering and then went on to taste their varietals.
As we sampled his wine, the discussion naturally progressed into where his acquired his fruit, the fermenting process, pressing the grapes, blending, barreling, bottling, and so on and so forth. To our great pleasure, Brendan was kind enough to give us a tour of his cellar and even let us taste from a few of his barrels!! My favorite variety, which he was blending for the first time and had yet to bottle, is Periscope's Evil Eye. (For those in the know, taking into consideration that Evil Eye hadn't been out of the barrel yet should should be enough tell you what a long time coming this review is.)
A few months later, I finally met Nichole, Brendan's Bacchant in arms, while they dined out at one of my favorite restaurants. She, like her partner, is a real treat to know.
Suffice to say, I will be returning again and again to visit Brendan and Nichole and purchase more their scrumptious wine!
Wine tasting Wednesdays are great! Free tastings and $5 glasses. The winekmaker, Brenden, gave us a lot of barrel tastings. That's something I've never experienced and it was a treat. The space is really cool and really chill.
They have a lot of different events throughout the months. Check the website for updates!
Try to get a taste of the Evil Eye!
Periscope is definitely a super fun place to stop at. Brendan, the owner, is super cool and welcoming and just loves to talk about wine.
In addition to letting us taste everything he had in bottles, he also gave us barrel samples which was fun. He also allowed us to taste some wines that had recently been bottled but not yet officially released. When it came time to check out he charged us the futures prices on all our purchases. Thanks, Brendan!
I came here to check out the free wine tasting on Wednesdays. The owner is super nice and knowledgeable about his stuff. There was also a winemaker there - I think it was Eden something vineyards - and it was great to talk to her about her wine.
Fun and free. Can't ask for more.
I was on a plane the other day, reading an article about the emergence of urban wineries in USA Today. To my surprise, one of the wineries mentioned was Periscope Cellars in Emeryville. Until a couple months ago, I lived in Emeryville and thought I knew every fun food destination. (Townhouse Bar & Grill is my favorite!). I had never heard of the winery. So last weekend I had some time to kill and decided to check it out. Like most places in E'ville, it's hidden within a large building that it shares with several other merchants.
I'll start with the compliments: 1) Tastings are FREE! 2) The Deep Six is good for the price. I believe it was about $20, but I'm not sure about that. 3) I love that their wines have screwcaps, so there are no worries about a corked wine. Also, they are working on other forms of unique bottling/packaging such as the individual wine "juice boxes" similar to CapriSuns but much better! 4) The people that work in the tasting room are incredibly nice and very welcoming. Like all the reviews said before me, they are the furthest thing from pretentious! 5) They showcase local artists in their tasting room/gallery.
My only complaint is that the other wines are just alright. Nothing special. The price is right on these wines, but I have found much better wines for $20. I bought a few bottles of wine, but other than the Deep Six I would never buy them again.
So, if you are in the Emeryville area and have some time to kill I would definitely check out Periscope. Don't expect world-class wines, but you will have a nice time.
My favorite wine here was the Deep 6 blend. So yummy! We also tried the 2005 Zin from Sonoma County, 2006 Syrah (future) which was a little young but you could tell it was going to be really good, and 2006 Cab (future).
I would happily go back!
Great winery.
The owner was extremely friendly and nice, and very attentive. The futures thing he does is also a really great way to get good wines for a discount price.
Also like the atmosphere. Its a combination winery, winebar, art gallery, and general hangout area. Not at all like Napa or Sonoma -- its much more about drinking and enjoying wine.
Who knew this little collection of winemakers was in the middle of Emeryville! Because it was easily accessible from my house I had to give it a try. The tasting room is in a concrete warehouse with shabby furnishings and decor, nothing too romantic. The location is where Top Chef season one was filmed so you can see various kitchen equipment and other tidbits from the show.
The wines were OK. We tasted a number of wines from various winemakers, including Periscope. Some were good, some were OK, some were not so great. They serve reds exclusively with one rose.
The highlight of my visit was the unique futures program the winemaker offers (apparently similar to David Coffaro in Dry Creek). You go in the back and barrel taste nearly all upcoming vintages. You can then order future bottlings at a fraction of the cost. In my case, the wines were about to be bottled so I got a good idea of what I was going to get and I wouldn't have to wait too long to get them.
Overall the winemaker/pourer was really friendly, enthusiastic and accomodating. A pleasant experience.
My 100th Review!
Update 2: 5/28/08
After tasting a wonderful taste of Periscope Rose, and then following it up with a taste of Zin; a glass Periscope's Sangiovese while looking at art was really a nice way to build an appetite.
Update:
I've been pretty much buying glasses of Periscope Cellars wine for a a few weeks now. They work hard and now I have learned September's "Crush Time" is something to see.
Into the cellars in this magical Emeryville experience. The building used to fabricate submarine parts, hence the name. Open minded, very informative, its the place of tasty zins and blended cabs. A surprisingly nice value in wines, this is certainly a "not to miss" experience.
Visit their website for scheduled tastings!
Please visit this winery. These people put together some fantastic wines, but the tasting experience was unlike any other. Read the reviews. We visited on tour and it was the most fun we had all day. Generous pours followed by the art gallery followed by the coolest staff to show us around some of the facility. The East Bay has a wine scene, and Periscope is one of the reasons to even have a tour. Go visit! Hear me? GO!!!
Up Periscope, down periscope, all around I love Periscope.
We rode our bikes to the winery (how pretentious does that sound, heh) and met a wonderful duo who was there to let us taste, walk around and learn about their process of winemaking, right here in Emeryville.
Not only is the location kitchy (an old submarine repair warehouse), but they are located right next to the kitchen Season 1 of Top Chef was filmed in. Woo hoo!
We got to go on a tour, immediately post-bottling, so the place was at its finest and most down and dirty. Millions of grapes and not a drop to drink! Or was there....
We sampled their zinfandel, syrah and Deep Six mix...and walked out with a bottle. Brendan the vintner loves to be creative and mix all sorts of varietals. You can tell he loves his job and the products he put out reflect that enthusiasm.
Prices are reasonable, tasting is free, and we even got to sample a barrel of their Evil Eye....which was definitely so good we invested in a futures bottle.
I'm so glad I live in a place where there is a lot of local pride as shown through Periscope Cellars.
We went last night and tasted some yummy, drinkable wines as they also were hosting an art show opening of a friend.
It was a real treat. I would definitely visit more if I was back in the East Bay.
Totally Fabulous. Good vibes here. Loved Periscope's Cab. They're running out...
Proof that the East Bay is rapidly becoming my little winery heaven.
Periscope Cellars is the brand new baby of a man with a dream and several casks of fermenting grapes. Housed in a defunct submarine maintenance facility - and how cool is that? - Periscope tastes some nice reds and a kick-ass un-oaked chardonnay (god, I love it when they keep that stuff away from my lovely chardonnay grapes).
When I went, we barrel tasted several wines (picture me jumping up and down with glee), and I promised to be back once they were bottled. The owner/winemaker has a snarky and casual sense of humor and even made me some 'custom' labels (drawn with a sharpie) for the bottles I did take home.
Get in on the ground floor with a new winery - you never know where the next 'highly allocated' cult wine will come from!
FYI - I think the tasting hours are still by appointment, so call ahead.
Last night my best friend and I went to a wine tasting/ art show at the periscope cellars. Normally dropping in on something like that isn't my speed but i thought. "Why not?"
I am so glad I did! The people were very cool, the wine was AMAZING ( try the Sangiovese). The wine maker himself was really friendly, and I thought it a little whimsicle that he was drinking MGD. A great great wine maker who didn't take himself too seriously! So refreshing!
Kind hard to find on the street but WELL worth it!
I left here feeling insanely happy about the wines and the future of East Bay winemaking and development in general. Brendan and Nichole here were so friendly and so knowledgeable about other local wineries and tasting rooms as well. Housed in an old submarine repair facility, they toured us through their facilities, a tour that we had never really been on before. We even got a barrel tasting of their Evil Eye, which was so good we bought futures. Nothing is super expensive here, and they are totally unpretentious. It's like Easy Bay style meets fine winemaking, and that is a Good Thing. Oakland is blowin' up, and this winery and tasting room is no exception.
Here's the bullet point version: (I would give this 6 or 10 stars if I could. :) )
.we got an amazing barrel tasting
.Wines are inexpensive and outstanding
.They overcame my snobbisness about the screw top
.They're friendly, unpretentious, and great to just hang out with
.They're part of the vibrant East Bay wine and art scene, which is hot, so hot right now. So hot. :-) They turned us on to a few other wineries we hadn't heard of. It's like an endless process of discovery
.They use Macs, which shows they're good, smart people with integrity right there.
Go. Immediately. What are you doing still reading this? Tasting room is only open Saturday, so HURRY! ;-)
Amazing wine right in the heart of the East Bay. Who says your winery has to be by the grapes when you can rent a truck and bring the grapes to where you live?
The winemaker and the tasting room director are both down to earth yet still full of a ton of knowledge about wine. They'll educate you while they entertain you with stories.
The space is a cool open old submarine factory full of barrels and I hear Brendan does barrel tastings every now and then. I have to stop myself from stopping by every weekend! Maybe I should get a closet full of disguises...
Im always giving wine four stars why do you ask??? Cause I like to drink and shit duh...
We went on Friday afternoon because I wanted to go to Barell tasting in Russian River but it was to late to much traffic on a Friday.
So I decided to hit up some places I have been hearing about so we decided to head here. We were the only ones here and they were trying to get ready for some monthly art event. We tried to wines that Brendan was offering not from Periscope,I did not like either.
What I did like was the deep 6 which I left in my girlfriends car and she better give it back...
I think I will come back to try the Barrels on a Sat
Detox + Retox = AWESOME! It's a wine+yoga night, where you do some wine tasting while doing yoga. We tasted all reds and a rose, while doing the ujjayi breath and holding all sorts of fun poses. This event is a MUST!
The wines are pretty good. Not great, but the place is just so much fun, and the people (Nicole! Brendan!) are totally wonderful, it makes it completely worth it. Periscope has a special place in my heart...and it's rather warm and tingly :)
What can I say?? Periscope rocks! Can't wait for their wine club to become operational!
I challenge any of you to name one thing that is cooler than having a winery down the street from your office?
Thinking...
Hmmm..
Gee Freesia I dunno, what?
How about having a winery down the street from your office AND the manager of said winery living nextdoor!
I love Periscope Cellars, don't get me wrong, it's a fabulous venue... but I love drinking the left over tasting room wine for free in my apartment even better!
Go say hi to the sexiest wine gal around... her name is Nichole and she will treat you right.
Wine made in an old submarine factory, in actual barrels? Yes, please.
We could talk about the flavor, the quality, the great price, the obvious love and attention demonstrated by the folks who create these wines, but really, it comes down to two simple facts:
The screw-cap makes it perfect for any setting.
It tastes better than TwoBuckChuck and you will never have to deal with Trader Joe's checkout lines to get your fix. In fact, you're likely to be offered tasting parties and winemaker dinners. Thumbs up.
Selling points for Periscope Cellars: It's in a great warehouse, offers really magnificent wine and a knowledgeable, unpretentious winemaker, and it's ten minutes from my house!
(Also, glamor factor: Season One of Top Chef was filmed here!)
I give Periscope my highest recommendation.
