Raise Your Glass !

Raise your Glass for a Reason at Mercy Wine Bar, a celebration to benefit to the American Heart Association.

Time to Party !!!

We are so very honored to have been selected wine bar of the year. On Tuesday, May 3, we intend to share that excitement and celebration with you. We hope you will come and join us at Mercy. From 5:00-9:00 pm we will be celebrating receiving this award. In the spirit of saying “thank you” and giving back, all proceeds from this evening will be going to the Dallas Chapter of the American Heart Association. We are very pleased to be partnering with the Heart Association for this event. There is well known connection between the health benefits of drinking red wine and being heart healthy. A perfect match!

We encourage you to join us and come and partake of your favorite grape and know that you are contributing to a wonderful local charity, while raising a glass with our staff so we can say “thank you” for your continued support and helping make Mercy one of the best of the best! It is going to be a fun evening so I would encourage you to get there early.

We are very honored to have received this prestigious award and look forward to sharing it with you!

Mercy……………..

Glen Agritelley

Owner

Fun Wine Facts

I picked up a copy of a national magazine this morning and found an interesting new wine fact "330 million" is the approximate number of cases of wine bought in the US in 2010, making it the first time that the United States is the largest wine-consuming nation; beating out the French which consume 321 million cases.

So armed with this new found knowledge, I went on an internet quest to find out some other obscure wine facts:

Q. How many varieties of wine grapes exist worldwide?

A. over 10,000 varieties.

Q. Among the world's fruit crops, where do wine grapes rank in number of acres planted?

A. Number One

Q. What are the top three U.S. states in terms of wine consumption?

A. CA, NY, FL

Q. What percentage of legal-aged Americans contacted in a Nielson phone survey drink wine?

A. 55%

Dom Perignon (1638-1715), the Benedictine Abbey (at Hautvillers) cellar master who is generally credited with “inventing” the Champagne making process, was blind.

Cork was developed as a bottle closure in the late 17th century. It was only after this that bottles were lain down for aging, and the bottle shapes slowly changed from short and bulbous to tall and slender.

The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170 years!

In February 2003, a wine bar would open in Dallas, Texas with a name inspired by the Roy Orbison song "Oh, Pretty Woman"

Oh....wait a minute.... I knew that one.

Mike Castagne

Operations Manager

Mercy on the Go

Mercy on the Go is officially launched!!

What is this, you are asking? While we don’t have a retail store; we are selling all of our wines retail NOW, as of April 1. You are now able to take home a bottle or two or as much as you care of your favorite Mercy wine selections. Many of the wines are exclusively here or would be difficult to find elsewhere. We already have several instances of guests enjoying a wine they haven’t had before and then inquiring if they can purchase a bottle or two to take home to enjoy. We can absolutely do that now ! We have had many guests tell us how happy they are that their favorite wine bar is also now their favorite wine store retailer. Imagine that you are invited to a friend's house for dinner and are not sure what to bring, well, the perfect gift is a bottle of wine. Something your host may not have tried before or even know about.

Here is how this works. You may purchase any wine from our wine list, To Go, at a 45% discount off of the in-house bottle price. Your bottle must be consumed off premises (state law, not Mercy’s). In addition to the wine, you will now be able to purchase Mercy glassware as well. These glasses are a crystal, titanium mix that is more durable and sturdier than a standard wine glass. Saves on breakage, unless you are prone to throwing them! Very shortly you will be able to purchase a Mercy logo wine key as well.

We have more exciting things coming so stay tuned!! In the mean time, we are pleased you have the entire Mercy wine list at your disposal to take home!

If you go online at mercywinebar.com and find a wine you like and would like more info on it or get more reviews on that wine Mercy is working very closely with the developer, Tim Hoffman (a Mercy guest for years) who has recently launched a site named Vinester. Check out his website at vinester.com. He has hundreds of thousands of wines listed with tasting notes and backgrounds on the regions or origin. You will be able to leave your own tasting notes and experiences on wines. This is one of the most comprehensive wine lists on the web. One of our missions is “wine education”. Mercy will continue to source wines help you broaden your palate as well as give you more information about the wines you like and the ones you are about to discover.

Mercy on the Go! Take a piece of Mercy home with you today!!

Glen Agritelley
owner

It is back !

Peju Provence from Napa is back.....!

For over 8 years now, selections from the Peju winery have been on the Mercy wine list. We wish to thank them once again for maintaining their consistancy and producing outstanding wines.

Every year, we have been extremely fortunate to get a very rare and special allocation of Peju Provence that you normally can only purchase directly at the winery . We believe it to be "the perfect fruity summer wine" or as we call it, "our patio pounder."

It is the perfect marriage of white and red juicy varietals. Chardonnay to give it a nice creamy mouth feel and then blended in is a bit of French Colombard, Red Zinfandel , Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The aromas will remind you of framboise (raspberry tart) with a complement of strawberry jam and a balanced finish of soft tannin from the Cabernet .

As I stated, the amount of this wine is very limited and guests ask for it year round even after we run out. "Is Peju back yet ?" We only can get 15 cases a year and yes, we will run out again . Sorry.....

Peju Provence is only available at Mercy and it will not be for retail sales (only for on-premise enjoyment).

3oz $9. 6oz $18. $55 btl

Warning ! Addiction guaranteed.

Vincent Havard
General Manager and Operating Partner

Spring is the season for love

Spring is the season for love. This line is from a poem, “Locks Hall,” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. So it came, as no surprise to all of us, when the number of reservation requests increased for Bachelorette Parties, Wedding Rehearsal Dinners, and Wedding Receptions. Can you attribute this increase in reservations to "spring in the air" or was there an increase in holiday engagement rings this year or Valentine marriage proposals ?

Mercy has a very romantic setting so our venue is a natural choice for a couple to toast their life together. We at Mercy welcome the invitation to be part of your big day and stand ready to assist with all the details. There is always a great sense of enjoyment for all of us when we host a large event. For us, it is like getting an invitation to a great party for as we rise to the challenge to bring your guests a great experience, we also enjoy showcasing what Mercy can do for you.

Over the years, Mercy has hosted Weddings, Wedding Receptions, Wedding Rehearal Dinners, Bachelorette Parties, and Baby Showers. All unique events and each designed for........ no one can look as good as you......Mercy !"

Mike Castagne
Operations Manager

Parties and Reservations ... call me at (972) 702-9463

THE most profitable company on the planet!

Most of you, I am sure by now, have heard of the relatively new company, Groupon. I know that many of you are recent, new guests because of Groupon. This is an incredible success story that is worth noting. 3 years ago this company was little more than an idea. Andrew Mason founded Groupon in 2008. Groupon was born out of a piece of technology and site called The Point. This was developed by Andrew as way of conducting on-line fund raising. A year later Groupon came on the scene.

From a marketing and advertising perspective this is an absolute brilliant business model. When Vincent first approached me with this idea after meeting with the Groupon rep, my first response was, “where is the catch”. Going to advertise Mercy and sell a discount coupon to over 350,000 in the Dallas metroplex and it doesn’t cost me a penny? I was clearly missing something. He was absolutely correct. This was in June of 2010. On our first attempt we sold 1,000 coupons on a Thursday. The very next day, we had an hour wait for dinner and Saturday saw the same result. Our business jumped significantly and remained high throughout the rest of the year. We were able to get reach into the market that, as a small company, we could have never afforded to do through traditional advertising channels. We not only were able to offer our regular guests an opportunity to visit us and get a significant discount but also attract an entire new group of guests, that after 8 years in business, we had not been able to reach.

With this success we had another round with Groupon and are results were twice what they were last year. We fully expect similar results throughout this year. Groupon is a very short 3 years is now in 44 countries and 500 markets around the world and has attained the prestigious status of being THE most profitable company on the planet! In 3 years, what an amazing success story. In a down economy and the world in turmoil it is inspiring to see that creativity and entrepreneurship is alive and doing well. Good for you Groupon. Congratulations. We wish you all the continued success in the world! Mercy is proud to have been an early adopter!

Glen Agritelley
Owner

A powerful little wine

Chateau Grand-Maison Cuvee Speciale 2005 Cotes de Bourg
as an AOC ( appellation d’origine controlee ); this is a powerful little wine out of Bordeaux.

The vineyards in the Cotes de Bourg were planted first by the Romans after they understood the importance of the richness and diversity of the soil. The micro-terroir ( a terroir into a terroir ) is mainly compose of clay and limestone, perfect for drainage and rich minerals. The majority of the vineyards are mainly merlot and malbec. This wine come from a very small distributor and we only receive delivery every 45 days.

Chateau Grand-Maison Cuvee Speciale 2005 Cotes de Bourg is composed with a base of merlot with a hint of malbec and cab franc. What I personally like about this wine is its good balance. As a 2005 vintage, it has balance, softer tannins and acidity. With its ruby red color, you will find aromas of plum, currant, and cassis and I invite you to pair it with our spicy Blackened Ahi Tuna from our delicious and healthy appetizer menu.

Chateau Grand-Maison Cuvee Speciale 2005 Cotes de Bourg is available now at Mercy wine bar for $45 a bottle (limited availability).

Vincent Havard
General Manager and Operating Partner