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Read the press release here.

Wine Bar, Juice Bar and Irish Pub Opening in Gramercy and Kips Bay

 A plethora of drink spots are poised to open in the neighborhood this fall.
Vitis Opening in September
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GRAMERCY — A tiny wine bar, an Irish pub and a juice bar are coming soon to Gramercy and Kips Bay.

Vitis will open in a small storefront and serve 50 unusual wines from around the world, available only by the glass, said Gianluca Deiana, co-owner of the 284 Third Ave. bar.

Deiana, who was born in Italy and lives in Bay Ridge, is still in the process of selecting wines for the menu, but he said 60 percent of the libations will be from Italy, including from Colorino, Shardana and Salvano.

“Whenever people go to restaurants, they always ask for Merlot or Chianti,” said Deiana, 43. “You’re not going to find those here. You’re going to find wines that people haven’t really heard of.”

Each glass will hold a quarter liter of wine and cost about $15.

The 650-square-foot space with six tables will have a modern feel, Deiana said. It will be anchored by a concrete and wood bar where customers can enjoy the wine along with small salads, panini, cold cuts and cheese.

“A wine bar isn’t the same as a restaurant,” Deiana said. “The food is secondary. This is where you go to enjoy wine.”

Vitis is still waiting for the State Liquor Authority to issue its beer and wine license, but Deiana is hoping to open the bar in September.

Although Deiana has worked in restaurant management since he was a child, this is the first time he has opened a business of his own in New York City.

Deiana owns Vitis with partners Chris Balfe, president of Mercury Radio Arts, and Kevin Balfe, senior vice president of Mercury — a production company owned by television and radio personality Glenn Beck, according to the company’s LinkedIn page.

Deiana said he plans to open five more Vitis locations in Manhattan over the next three years.

Also coming soon to the neighborhood is the Irish pub Grace, which is set to open at 365 Third Ave. on Labor Day, with an all-female staff of mixologists and bartenders.

The bar is named for Ireland's 16th-century "pirate queen" Grace O'Malley, “who embodies Irish national pride and female empowerment,” the bar's owners said in a statement.

The female mixologists hail from a range of local bars, including The Dead Rabbit, Clover Club, Booker & Dax and The Nomad.

“Grace honors the legacy of a daring and courageous woman, Grace O’ Malley, and we are proud to work with her modern-day equivalents in the bartending world,” co-owner Danny McDonald said in a statement.

In addition to its cocktail menu, Grace will also offer craft beer, a wine list and a wide selection of Irish whiskeys.

The food menu will focus on seafood, in honor of O’Malley’s voyages from Scotland to the North African coast, the statement said.

Juice Generation, a chain that started in Hell's Kitchen and has since spread across Manhattan, is opening its newest outpost soon in Gramercy.

The juice bar at 111 E. 23rd St. near Park Avenue will serve a variety of smoothies, fresh juices and cold-pressed juices, all made fresh to order, plus baked goods and soups.

Juice options include the Hale to Kale, made with kale, apple, watermelon and lemon, and the Daily Detox, made with carrot, cucumber, lemon, apple and ginger.

Juice Generation did not immediately give an opening date for the new location.