St. Petersburg’s pioneering wine bar and bottle shop CellarMasters has closed.
Owner Ryan Rugg confirmed by phone Tuesday afternoon that “the business is done.”
The popular wine shop has been credited with ushering in thenow-robust natural and low-intervention wine scene in St. Pete. Many current local spots with a focus on natural wines can trace their lineage toCellarMasters.
Last Wednesday afternoon, doors were lockedhours after the spot typically opened. Two would-bepatrons peered into the heavily tinted glass door then checked their phones. On Tuesday, dozensof sealed boxes were seen through thewindow,lined up around the perimeter of the retail side of the space.
“There’s no one thing to blame, but after the hurricanes last year, you know, I lost a lot of clientele,” Rugg, 41, said. “The numbers are going down, and not up, and it doesn’t seem to matter what we do.”
Rugg said other factors that contributed to CellarMasters’ closure were new wine places opening in St. Pete that catered to a similar crowd, and not being able to retain repeat clientele who spend at a higher price point.
CellarMasters had a reputation for doing things a little differently.
“I was trying to get a younger clientele into wine, and the way to do that is to take all of the shielding and the stuffiness out of what wine is to people,” Rugg said. “We provided access.”
What’s next for Rugg? A veteran with 20 years in the wine business, he’s made wine, and managed and sold wine wholesale and retail.
“I think for me it might be onward and upward to something different completely,” he said. “I don’t know, this has been a tough landing. I worked really hard and I built that place myself.”
“We captivated a younger clientele at a time that was important and hopefully that lives on.”
Rugg and then-partner Kory Lynn opened CellarMasters in 2020, during the pandemic. The timing forced them to initially focus on retail, online ordering and curbside pickup. The wine bar was designed as a hybrid concept, with a retail area on one side and a lounge on the other where you could enjoy a bottle you just bought, plus wine by the glass and beer.
Despite never having a printed menu, the self-proclaimed “dive bar” rapidly became a hub for wine lovers seeking what they dubbed“natty/minimal stuff.”