Tuesday, September 27, 2011

World travel through your palet

I always love bringing in wine from different countries as it gives you a little bit of world travel through your palet.

The 2005 Gaili Mountain Shiraz Cabernet, is 53% Shiraz and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, again at 15% alcohol. Though the winery does produce wines under the label of Syrah, they decided to use the “Shiraz” designation based on this wine's affinity with Australian styles.

The wine is aged ten months in American oak. It's got great berry aromas—blueberry, cassis and black plum—with additional palate notes of chocolate, vanilla, black pepper, baking spice and well toasted oak. The fine-grained tannins are extremely well integrated into this wine, a delight to experience. The finish is long and fruity, well supported by those tannins.

This is fun stuff indeed, and meant to drink now.

$13 glass $40 bottle

Vincent Havard
Operating Partner

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

We are very appreciative

For the eighth consecutive year, Mercy Wine Bar has won Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence. The honor, which is reserved for restaurants that meet the publication’s strict criteria, puts us in good company with some of the finest establishments across the country.

“This is truly a great honor for us,” said owner Glen Agritelley. “We strive to provide excellence in every way, and to be acknowledged by an authority like Wine Spectator only reinforces our commitment to our customers.”

To earn an Award of Excellence, an establishment must have a wine list with a well-chosen selection of quality producers; the typical list must offer at least 100 selections. The list must present complete and accurate information for each wine, including vintages and appellations for all selections – including which wines are available by the glass. Overall presentation and appearance of the list is also taken into consideration.

We currently offer more than 100 wines by the glass with an additional 50 wines that are available by the bottle. Food and wine will always be our main staples however, the current changes in zoning laws allow us now to be a true retail wine shop as well.

“We take the Award of Excellence very seriously,” Agritelley said. “This is truly a great honor for us, and we appreciate the fact that Wine Spectator feels we meet their high standards.”

The complete list of Award of Excellence recipients will appear in the Aug. 31 issue of the magazine. In addition to receiving another nod from Wine Spectator, Mercy Wine Bar was named “Best Wine Bar” in the U.S. by Nightclub & Bar Magazine earlier this year, and has previously been named among the top 100 wine bars in the country by the same publication. It was also voted one of the top 10 wine bars in the country by AskMen.com. In 2010, it was voted the “Best Wine Bar” by D Magazine and has also won numerous “People’s Choice” awards from Addison and the North Texas Corridor Guide, including “Best Lounge” and “Best Place to Sip Wine.”

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Put away the white shoes

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and in Dallas, we were greeted to a welcome 20 degree drop in temperatures to signal the coming fall months. Summer travelers have returned home; the kids are back in school; bags of candy and Halloween decorations are appearing in stores, fall has definitely arrived.

Looking forward a bit more, Mercy is already booking holiday parties. I was grateful for the break in the temperature, as it is difficult to put your mind set on holiday event planning when you are sweltering in 105 degree heat. I really do love that time of year, holiday festivities both at work and at home, really have produced some cherished memories.

When the banter at work, the discussion for venues come up, please think of us at Mercy. When we host a large or even a smaller gathering at Mercy, there is such a sense of purpose in the air. We get to showcase what Mercy has to offer to a multitude of new guests all at once and that is really, so much fun !

Drop an e-mail note or give me with some specifics for your company's holiday party; we would really welcome being a part of your holiday festivities.

Mike Castagne

Operations Manager