Woman-owned winery creates niche

Terri Lee Pebley has never been satisfied with the status quo. The math major turned certified public accountant and attorney owns a successful real estate business. After acquiring Keyways Vineyard & Winery about three years ago, she's also the only female winery owner in Temecula Valley.
She oversaw a dramatic $1.5 million makeover of the winery and tasting room. Far from the bustle and limousines of Rancho California Road, Keyways on 37338 De Portola Road is making its mark with a penchant for service, special events, quality wines and an intimate and comfortable tasting room.

Pebley recently took the time to answer Six Questions:

Question: With tourism declining across the nation as people slash their travel budgets, what are you doing to attract visitors to Keyways Vineyard & Winery?

Answer: We are finding that visitors are attracted to wineries that offer unique and memorable experiences.

Our strategy to meet those needs is to offer regular music venues including our TGIF at Keyways Piano Bar and our Sunday afternoon acoustical guitar Music & the Wines.

We also pioneered Temeculights, a holiday lights festival featuring horse-drawn wagon rides through our vineyards to view our 125,000 LEF Christmas lights.

Another strategy we recently embarked on involves forming local alliances with other like-minded wineries to promote certain aspects of our business. One such alliance is the Temecula Valley Quality Wine Alliance, which includes three local wineries committed to producing and promoting premium quality wines. Another alliance, called the Destination Marketing Alliance, was formed to promote wineries with special emphasis on the quality of the experience.

In addition to these strategies we are continuing to market our niche as a woman-owned winery. Advertising budgets are always being stretched and free publicity is more credible and cost effective than paid advertising.

Q: As the only woman-owned winery in Temecula Wine Country, what challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?

A: The initial challenge I faced was to earn credibility as a serious and committed winery owner in a wine region dominated by male owners with long histories and substantial experience in the wine industry.

Another challenge was having no actual grower or vintner experience and limited wine knowledge.

In the past, when faced with business challenges in which I lacked expertise, my business background taught me how to surround myself with knowledgeable people who could do the job I needed done and then get out of their way. This is exactly what I did, starting with hiring a highly successful and experienced winemaker and then assembling a strong and experienced management team.

I provided the vision and the goals and empowered them with the planning and implementation. This proved successful, and I have maintained this management style while continuing to fine-tune my managers and staff on a regular basis.

Gaining credibility has been the result of making substantial financial investments in the winery facility and business, developing successful marketing programs and building a reputation for providing quality wine and outstanding customer service.

This is, of course, an ongoing effort that must start at the top but effectively filter down through the winery management and staff.

Q: How did you get into the wine business? Weren't you the real estate agent trying to sell Keyways for the original owner?

A: I actually did meet with Carl Key with the intent of listing his winery for sale, and he ended up talking me into buying it. He really got my attention when he said he would "give me a really good deal."

At the time the winery was being leased out to another winemaker, so I really looked at it as a passive investment for me and never expected to run the business myself.

About a year and a half later, the winemaker decided to leave, and I woke up one day in the wine business.

Q: Temecula Wine Country is home to some 30 wineries, and it's adding wineries every year. Do you think there are too many wineries in the area? Is there enough business for everyone? Why or why not?

A: I don't believe there are too many wineries. Just like in many other industries there is plenty of room at the top for wineries that distinguish themselves through outstanding products and services.

Another factor in my confidence in success in spite of the growing competition in our region is that the demographics are so strong with 23 million people within a two-hour driving radius. Every week we get guests discovering Temecula Valley wine country for the first time.

Q: Are there trends that you see in the wine industry that will change the future of Temecula Wine Country?

A: I see some very significant trends in Temecula Wine Country that I believe will change both the image and draw of the region.

As the number of wineries grow there is definitely a trend toward larger and more upscale wineries and an increase in the number of amenities being offered, especially lodging and accommodations. Plans for new wineries in Temecula Valley in the next five, 10 years will increase the investment in wine country fivefold to more than $600 billion.

Another trend that I mentioned earlier is the formation of alliances of like-minded wineries for the promotion of common purposes. Another example of this is an alliance I formed earlier this year called the De Portola Wine Trail. This is an alliance of all of the owner's of wineries on De Portola Road that was formed to promote our wineries and to draw more visitors to De Portola Road.

Q: What are your plans for Keyways Winery? Will you expand?

A: Expansion seems to be the name of the game for most wineries, and Keyways is no exception. We have been in expansion mode nonstop since I took over the winery operations in 2006.

Our next phase of expansion will include building a catering kitchen to accommodate our weddings and private events, which is an important and growing component of our business.

Our long-term plans include adding a lodging component which may involve converting the residence to a bed and breakfast or acquiring the adjoining vacant land and adding villa-style lodging.

Aside from our physical expansion the most important part of our business is our wine club, which we have plans to expand by capitalizing on the woman-owned winery niche and offering enhanced benefits and services.

The key is to never forget that we are in the entertainment business, and as long as we and our guests are having fun, we will be successful.