A popular wine bar will shut its doors after tonight.
Rain Dogs Wine Bar, located in Victoria’s Chinatown, will have its last service after being established in the winter of 2020.
The quaint space catered to wine-enthusiasts, music-lovers, and art-fanatics because of its thorough wine list, live music and signature six foot triptych depicting the festival of Dionysus’.
The bar was perfect for anyone who enjoyed a quaint space within the bustle of a busy Chinatown.
The announcement of the closure was made today via the bar’s Instagram.
News of the closure may come suddenly but it may not be surprising.
Last month, owner and founder of Rain Dogs, Chad Rennie, passed away due to complications with COVID-19.
Rennie tested positive for COVID-19 on August 6th.
On August 15th, Rennie was put on a ventilator at Victoria General Hospital but his health continued to decline where he was then transferred to Vancouver General Hospital.
Over a month later, on September 25th, he was transitioned to palliative care where he passed away the following day.
Rennie is survived by his wife, his daughters and his grandkids.
Comments on the social media post are already flooding in for the sadness expressed over the closure of Rain Dogs.
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Before his death, Rennie posted to the Rain Dogs Instagram page in July expressing his pride in what Rain Dogs had become within its short tenure during a pandemic:
“Watching you eat, drink and listen to music in this space fills me with emotions that are hard to describe.
‘Hope is important, it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear hardship today.’
Thoughts like this got me through these last 12 months. If you have a dream there’s never been a better time to shoot for the stars. Start dreaming today.”
For one last dine and drink, check out Rain Dogs tonight.
Rain Dogs Wine Bar
- Where: 509 Fisgard Street
- When: 4 p.m. until 12 a.m.
