A new wine bar promises to give Houstonians access to boutique vintages they've never tried before. Slated to open this fall in The Heights at 1124 Usener St., Mutiny Wine Room will provide a local outlet for vintages from boutique and small wineries that only produce 500 to 5,000 cases per year.
Mutiny's owners, the husband-and-wife duo of Mark Ellenberger and Emily Trout, got their start in the wine business when they celebrated their first anniversary by making a barrel of wine. Since then, the couple turned their passion into Kagan Cellars, an award-winning winery that produces 500 cases per year.
Using the connections they've made operating Kagan Cellars, the couple plans to bring wines to Houston that would otherwise never appear in the retail market. Usually only available direct-to-consumer, Kagan Cellars wine will be available at Mutiny.
"Diverse cities like Houston thrive on choice, but not everyone can pick up and run to a wine region to find new wines, so we’re bringing the wine country to Houston," Trout said in a statement. "Our goal is to bring in ‘all the wines you’ve never had before’ and provide a sustainable outlet for small producers from around the world."
The bar's name pays homage to the shift the couple made in their careers from being in the corporate world to something they feel passionate about. Mutiny will provide both a traditional wine bar experience along with selling wines to-go.
"We want to showcase our fellow small producers that source fruit from the same high-quality vineyards as the big boys but are generally unavailable in the Texas retail market," Ellenberger added. "We source primarily from producers that practice sustainable, low-impact farming and minimalist intervention in the production of our wines.”
In addition to the wine tasting bar, Mutiny will serve food designed to be paired with the wines it sells. The space will feature both a private room for special events and an outdoor patio.
A rendering of Mutiny's main bar.
