On the Side: In addition to one's regular job or as a subsidiary source of income

Job: (noun) A paid position of regular employment.

 

At the age of 18 Jeff Lubin unwittingly embarked on his career in the wine industry. Employed at one of the top wine shops in Beverly Hills, his boss recognized talent when he saw it and made him Assistant Manager. “It was the strangest thing,”  says Lubin, “One day I was stocking beer and soda in the cold box, and the next day I was learning about Montrachet and Cabernet.”

Jeff worked with some of the finest wine retailers in Los Angeles. As his career progressed, he followed the natural path from retailer to wholesaler, to supplier, and in 1997 he joined Icon Estates (formerly Franciscan Estates) as District Sales Manager for Southern California. After a year in this new position Jeff was transferred to the San Francisco Bay area as Northern California District Sales Manager.

In 1999 Jeff was offered a position in the marketing department as Estate Manager for Simi Winery and Franciscan Oakville Estate Winery. With the success of those brands and the growth of the company through brand acquisition, he was promoted to the position of Marketing Director of Ravenswood Winery in 2002.

During his tenure at Ravenswood, Jeff took a more irreverent approach to marketing. Creating the “Zinfomania Tour” in 2003, he brought Ravenswood's message directly to the streets through event marketing. From national barbecue competitions to the tracks of the American Le Mans and NASCAR, Lubin brought wine education to the average wine consumer “We had consumers leaving their beer at our tasting station and purchasing wine at the countries largest barbecue competitions, because they realized that wine is a better partner with barbecue,” says Lubin. “We need to continue to educate consumers on the pairing of food and wine, and that is the perfect partner for any meal.”

During his 25th year in the wine industry, Jeff decided to start a project that he could call his own. Needing to keep is "real job" to support his family, he formed SideJob Cellars (on the side of course). Selling his price possession, a 1999 C5 Corvette Coupe for seed money Jeff launched his first self financed wine (and called it in memory of his much loved car). Using his new wine venture C5 Dry Creek Zinfandel as the foundation Jeff hopes to build his company and hopes to eventually make this his “Real Job".

Feeling the need to be released from the "corporate world" Lubin recently left his position at Ravenswood (luckily he had his SideJob!) and is currently working as a marketing consultant while he builds his own company.

"With all the consolidation our industry is experiencing the time is right for small start-up companies to flourish, I just want to use this opportunity to live my dream, and still pay the rent!"