The Winehound, one of Santa Barbara’s most popular wine shops, is being sold, but the buyer remains unknown and the current employees remain uncertain of their fates. That’s what customers learned via an email newsletter on Monday from general manager Bob Wesley, who many mistakenly believed was the owner of the shop that opened on Chapala Street in 2008 before moving to La Cumbre Plaza in 2012.
“Today, we must announce that The Winehound will be transferring ownership early next year, and we’d like to thank you, our loyal clients, for your support since April of 2008 when the doors opened,” he wrote, explaining that the store’s current inventory is being liquidated. “We’ve been delighted to introduce our patrons to the finest vino we’ve encountered, and perhaps turn a palate or two onto something unexpected and flavorsome.”
The email triggered a “very kind and gratifying outpouring” from customers, said Wesley on Monday afternoon, but the future remains murky. “We have no idea who the new owners will be,” said Wesley. “They can’t disclose it yet, so we are waiting to find out.” As to the job status for himself and colleagues Betty Dunbar and Dennis Ferguson, both very familiar faces in Santa Barbara’s tight-knit wine world, Wesley simply said, “There is a question mark there.”