From USA Today "Ten Best", December, 2014: "Santa Barbara's favorite wine store - or so the locals say, and they know their wine! It must be tough to sell wine in a town where wineries and tasting rooms and vineyards seem to spring up at every turn, but this shop has it down. Head here for a great assortment of local picks, well-regarded labels and hard-to-find independent producers. If you're on a budget, keep an eye out for paw prints that will denote great wines under $15... or just ask the super knowledgeable staff. In addition to wine, the Winehound also sells champagne and sparkling varieties, wine glasses, carafes and other accessories. Located adjacent to La Cumbre Mall, there is free parking right out front." Santa Barbara News Press Reader's Choice Awards, 2014 Wine Shop Winner: The Winehound "The Winehound's motto is: "Plenty of space for wine, but no room for snobbery." Clearly, both parts of that phrase ring true, as The Winehound stocks row after row of exceptional wine from around the world, and they know it's exceptional because they try everything before deciding whether its quality is high enough to offer to customers. They also offer various wine club memberships for wine drinkers interested in trying bottles selected by the staff on a monthly basis." Santa Barbara News Press Reader's Choice Awards, 2013: Wine Shop Winner: The Winehound "The Winehound’s motto is, 'Plenty of space for wine, but no room for snobbery.' They search the globe for the best varietals and bring them back to Santa Barbara. Whether you are longing for an everyday red or a special occasion champagne, the Winehound’s knowledgeable staff can help you find the perfect bottle." Santa Barbara Independent Best Wine Shop of 2015: The Winehound by ETHAN STEWART 3849 State St., 845-5247 “[A] remarkably well-curated and consistent selection of wine. This year marks the seventh Best Of win in a row. Though the store features a thousand different labels from around the world, it’s got a definite sweet spot for the Central Coast and is also home to S.B.’s largest champagne and sparkling wine collection. As they note, ‘From $10 to $100 and beyond, whether it is style or price or a certain occasion you are after, we have something for everybody.’” Santa Barbara Independent Best Wine Shop of 2014: The Winehound by D.J. PALLADINO 3849 State St., 845-5247 "Back when Santa Barbara had only one or two wineries, say 1975, there were five great wine stores spread evenly from Montecito to La Cumbre Plaza. Now they’re our only boutique specialist, and we say this not to glorify the old days but to express how lucky we are that Winehound is around: great variety from domestic to the foreign spheres; terrific range of prices.” Santa Barbara Independent Best Wine Shop of 2013: The Winehound by D.J. PALLADINO 3849 State St., 845-5247 "Funny thing is, there used to be a lot more wine stores in this town back when it was becoming commonplace for people to understand the depths of pleasure available beyond Italian Swiss Colony and Lancers. In fact, most of those very good wine stores in town were a lot like The Winehound, run by avid enthusiasts who enjoyed drinking a lot more than collecting and who could tell you an awesome deal on wines you might never guess. New to this uptown location, we hope The Winehound maintains its vintage status as a store that reminds you what fine experiences can come to those with grape expectations." |
Santa Barbara Independent
Best Wine Shop of 2012: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
It’s not the usual role of this list of the Best Of to report bad news, but here goes. The Winehound is moving. Okay, it’s good for The Winehound because they get a La Cumbre Plaza address with lots of parking, and it’s good for us because they can expand their impressive holdings of choicely chosen wines from all around the world, but jeez. We kind of got used to small quarters and the inconvenient way we had to park and cross the street or park illegally to go in there. Actually, this annual winner will likely prosper in new surroundings, and we have grape expectations for their future uptown.”
Best Wine Shop of 2012: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
It’s not the usual role of this list of the Best Of to report bad news, but here goes. The Winehound is moving. Okay, it’s good for The Winehound because they get a La Cumbre Plaza address with lots of parking, and it’s good for us because they can expand their impressive holdings of choicely chosen wines from all around the world, but jeez. We kind of got used to small quarters and the inconvenient way we had to park and cross the street or park illegally to go in there. Actually, this annual winner will likely prosper in new surroundings, and we have grape expectations for their future uptown.”
Santa Barbara Independent
Best Wine Shop of 2011: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
“It’s full, official trademarked name is The Winehound: The Hunt for Remarkable Wines Made Easy (TWTHRWME, for short). But that doesn’t make them elitists. Ultimately, it’s a place for the avid oenophiles of any price bracket. As they say, ‘We have great wines and a great staff and we’re interested in promoting the love of wine.’”
Best Wine Shop of 2011: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
“It’s full, official trademarked name is The Winehound: The Hunt for Remarkable Wines Made Easy (TWTHRWME, for short). But that doesn’t make them elitists. Ultimately, it’s a place for the avid oenophiles of any price bracket. As they say, ‘We have great wines and a great staff and we’re interested in promoting the love of wine.’”
Santa Barbara Independent
Best Wine Shop of 2010: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
“’Part of being a big winner is being small,’ says The Winehound. “I think we’re popular because we have the things that people want and sell them at a good value. Plus we are a really good source of South Coast wines,” they said, including occasional super-rarities like extremely limited bottlings from vino-genius Manfred Krankl in that limited abundance. ‘But the advantage to being small is that we can move. If someone is closing out and making a good offering, a bigger store would have to check up the corporate ladder. We can just go,’ he said. The value is passed on to the buyers, who, in turn, vote for the store. Hope it doesn’t make their head get all big now.”
Best Wine Shop of 2010: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
“’Part of being a big winner is being small,’ says The Winehound. “I think we’re popular because we have the things that people want and sell them at a good value. Plus we are a really good source of South Coast wines,” they said, including occasional super-rarities like extremely limited bottlings from vino-genius Manfred Krankl in that limited abundance. ‘But the advantage to being small is that we can move. If someone is closing out and making a good offering, a bigger store would have to check up the corporate ladder. We can just go,’ he said. The value is passed on to the buyers, who, in turn, vote for the store. Hope it doesn’t make their head get all big now.”
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Santa Barbara Independent
Best Wine Shop of 2009: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
“The Winehound opened last April, and it’s already plucked the championship of Bacchanalian merchants in this wine region town. The true guiding principal has been good buys from all over the world. 'We like to say that good value never goes out of fashion,' they noted."
Santa Barbara Independent
Best Wine Shop of 2009: The Winehound
by D.J. PALLADINO
1221 Chapala St., 845-5247
“The Winehound opened last April, and it’s already plucked the championship of Bacchanalian merchants in this wine region town. The true guiding principal has been good buys from all over the world. 'We like to say that good value never goes out of fashion,' they noted."