![]() But he’s quick to point out, “The key to doing this is having access to good fruit.” The key to running a successful wine bar? It starts with the quality of the wines, to be sure, but ambiance and service matter hugely. Helena, San Giacomo in Sonoma County and two of Bill Foley’s prime Santa Barbara properties.Ī graduate of Cal-Davis’ winemaking program and who has WSET Level 2 and 3 certification, Ellenberger serves as his own winemaker at Kagan. ![]() It may be a small winery, but it has some big-name vineyards in the fruit mix, including Stagecoach up on Atlas Peak and Andy Beckstoffer’s Georges III in St. Toward that end, they brought in Ari Weiswasser, the chef-proprietor of a popular, sophisticated restaurant in the tiny Sonoma County town of Glen Ellen, to help sculpt a small-bites menu tailored for Houston tastes.Īfter 40 years in the shipping business, Ellenberger needed a change and Kagan needed a reliable outlet for its roughly 500 cases of annual production, which were previously available only on a consumer-direct basis. Their mission? To bring a California wine-country vibe to the Heights. Many of the selections - 45 to 50 available by the glass or bottle at any given time - are personal favorites that elicit fond memories of their own experiences. Just north of Interstate 10, Mutiny is hyper-focused on wines from boutique producers mirroring theirs that can’t be found anywhere in Texas except on their shelves. This next chapter, Ellenberger admits, “is already the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” But because they’re tackling the challenges together and selling something they both find magical, it’s going to be the adventure of a lifetime and one that’s certain to bring happiness to many others, too. Yep, theirs is the perfect story for Valentine’s Day. Kagan Cellars was born, and the seed of an idea that became Mutiny Wine Room had been planted. They suddenly realized that they had enough juice - “about a thousand bottles’ worth, a lot more than we could drink,” he said - to launch a wine business. “It came totally out of the blue.”Ī year later, while that syrah was still aging in the barrel, they gave each other barrels of pinot noir and chardonnay. “You should have seen the look on his face,” Trout recalls. A year later, to celebrate their first anniversary, she gave him a barrel of syrah from the White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Barbara that she’d help make at a custom-crush facility in San Francisco. They enjoyed seven full years of dating adventures with sailing and travel at the fore before marrying in 2006. It’s one of the things I love most about him.” He demonstrated that great things should be shared and enjoyed, and there’s always something new to learn. Obviously, it was a beautiful wine, rich and honeyed, but it was Mark’s excitement about opening it that really sold me. He’s never been too cool to be excited about life.”Ī half bottle of Château d’Yquem sealed the deal for her on “a rainy evening in November in the late 1990s. Trout responds: “Mark’s boyish charm, his excitement about life and experiencing new things … That was so attractive to me. ![]() “She was the smartest, prettiest woman I’d ever met,” Ellenberger says. Though theirs wasn’t love at very first sight, it didn’t miss by much. (None cost more than $145.) The Damoli Valpolicella at $9 for a glass offers fine value and is part of an inaugural four-wine flight of two-ounce pours for $15. Pricing: Most of the bubbles, rosés and white wines are $60 or less for a bottle with the AWI (A Wonderful Idea) Torrontes coming in at $9 for a glass and $30 for a bottle. An intriguing dessert wines, the “Le Secret” from Southern Rhone producer Domaine de Mourchon ($16/$59), is brand-new to the American market. Four of the Kagan Cellars wines made by co-owner Mark Ellenberger - a rosé, a chardonnay, a syrah and a cab - are in the mix. Regarding the latter, those from bottles costing at least $100 are attached to a Coravin system. Wine list: An eclectic, deftly curated collection of approximately 50 bottles will be available at any given time and all are offered by the glass. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 4-10 p.m., Friday 4-midnight, Saturday noon-midnight, Sunday noon-10 p.m. ![]()
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