DALLAS, TX – After concluding that pickleball and wine are the perfect pairing, Va Piano owner and winemaker, Justin Wylie, and artist, Ben Joyce, were happy to chat about blending the two together.

Wylie and Joyce initially crossed paths while attending Gonzaga University, sharing a mentor, and studying abroad in Florence, Italy.

“I paint the connection of place, and Justin makes incredible wine, so merging on this pickleball wine project was perfect,” explained Joyce. 

After graduation, Wylie pursued his dream of starting his own vineyard in Walla Walla, WA. Meanwhile, Joyce continued painting and developing his artistry, but they always envisioned collaborating on a project at some point in time.

“People are passionate about what they do. Pickleball is the same. You hear all these stories of people playing pickleball and there’s just a passion behind it. I think the concepts really complemented each other because what we do is create passion,” said Joyce. “And the game also brings that same passion to people’s lives.”

The artwork Joyce created for the pickleball wine is an abstract aerial map of Bainbridge Island, WA, and if you look closely, you can see a small pickleball placed directly in the city where America's fastest-growing sport was founded. 

Joyce’s unique style of art ultimately yielded the perfect label. 

“I realized that if I painted from an aerial perspective and gave an individual lines that they can connect with, they can populate that with all of their experience and connection,” he shared. 

Interestingly enough, Wylie decided not to put his winery’s label on the front of the bottle.

Joyce’s artwork is the only visual element.

“His artwork just floats on the bottle. That’s the first and only thing you see. And as you pick it up, you hold it, turn it around, you start to learn more about what it is,” noted Wylie. “I wanted to really preserve and honor his artwork.” 

As for the wine, Wylie couldn't be happier with the final product.

“This wine is about 85% cabernet. The balance is Merlot Cab Franc, just a little bit of Malbec. It has a lot of structure and texture to it. It’s a big wine, but it’s very palatable without food, and it’s smooth,” he explained. “It’s showing beautifully today, so I’m pretty proud of it.”

And with good reason. This was clearly a labor of love.

“There’s so much more in a bottle of wine than just the wine,” insisted Wylie. “When people open it, they’re usually with their group of people that play pickleball. When they’re together, they open it, and sit around telling all their best stories. It’s a great connector at the end of the day to bring people together with art, wine, and their stories.” 

Click here to order a bottle of the exclusive edition pickleball wine. Share it with your pickleball community.