Wesley Won’t Whine about Wine

Anyone shopping at Lazy Acres of late might have noticed the store has lost its soul-longtime wine manager and witty newsletter writer Bob Wesley has quit. The good news is Wesley will be back, this time running his own place, The Winehound, sometime in January. The new store is at 1221 Chapala Street, right across from City Lot #5. Wesley said, “The store will be 2,500 square feet-plenty of room for wine but not enough room for snobbery. Our goal is to offer exceptional wines from $5-$500; we won’t discriminate against daily wines.” The Winehound is backed by Vinesse, a company out of Westlake Village that runs the Web-based American Cellars Wine Club. “They wanted to expand into bricks and mortar,” Wesley explained. “I knew the CEO from a wine junket to Spain we both went on in 2001.” The Winehound will also feature a separate room dedicated to craft and import beer, some gift items, and good glassware for purchase. While the site won’t have a tasting license, Wesley will work with area restaurants for events, promising one might happen even before the store opens. That’s service.