Life & Work with Jeffrey of Rolling Hills Estates

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey.

Hi Jeffrey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Personal Experience that inspired the idea?

When I moved to LA 23 years ago, I was quickly introduced to great CA wines. That made me want to go and investigate wine country, where I fell in love with the “whole world of wine.”

Wine regions became some of my favorite places on earth. I love the landscapes, the old trucks, the music, the food, the people, the history, the different tasting room vibes and of course the wine. I wanted to bring the magic of wine country to the South Bay of Los Angeles. Palos Verdes, with its rolling hills, horse ranches, sea smoke, hot and cold climates would be the perfect place for this true tasting room featuring one rotating wine region at a time.

Beyond wine, what does the wine club mean to me?

I means family, friends and memories. I adore my staff, our members and our daily guests. I love hosting people and learning about them over a nice meal, a great glass of wine, great music and conversation. We offer a mellow, but celebratory vibe. And, it’s the best feeling when everybody is happy to be here.

What feeling do I want guests to experience when they come here?

I want my guests to feel like they are in wine country and have learned a little more about the massive landscape of wine by narrowing down to one region at a time. I want my guests to experience a personal connection to specific wineries, those winemakers and start to build relationships. And, I want every night to feel special.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to running a successful wine tasting room and restaurant is never smooth. We have had to deal with staffing issues, plumbing issues, health code issues, increased food costs and a ton of red tape. But, through a lot of sweat-equity and careful planning, we are up and running smoothly and efficiently. Efficiency is the key.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
To counterbalance the retail work I encounter at the Wine Club, I love to flex my creative side. I am currently working on a social network, which incentivizes people to question and answer each other for their most personal and memorable stories. It incentivizes a direct act of kindness and bonding between people in this time of uncertainty.

Also, I am finishing a movie screenplay about a notorious serial killer in my home state of Michigan, back in the late 60’s. My Dad was just starting as a Sheriff’s Deputy when they caught the killer, so it has always been a goal of mine for my Father to see it come to fruition. It’s really good and really scary.

How do you think about luck?
Luck is just preparation meets opportunity. I had years of preparation when it came to a wine and hospitality experience. I was constantly focusing this idea of a rotating regional collective of wineries in a tasting room. When the time (and location) finally came, I was ready.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pvwineclub.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pvwineclub
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pvwineclub