We had the good fortune of connecting with Dirk and Michelle Uys and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dirk and Michelle, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

We live in the center of Temecula Wine Country and wished to share our experience of this beautiful unknown gem of SoCal with others. We started offering a Vineyard and Winery Experience through AirBnB called Discover off the beaten Track Winery, providing guests with an opportunity to tour our boutique vineyard and experience the workings of a small winery. We recently became a bonded winery and now offer tastings by appointment and started the Uys Winery Wine Club.

After riding e-bikes for the first time with friends, we realized that it could be a healthy and fun way to explore the hilly Temecula Valley Wine Country with minimal cycling effort. Our location in the heart of wine country is the perfect place for guests to park their car and ride from. This led to the start of Temecula Wine Country E-Bike Rentals. We have lived in Temecula since 2003 and have seen it more than double in size. We have gained a wealth of knowledge of the area that we can share and guide visitors on where to ride and visit.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are humbled, at the same time proud, of the many highly favorable reviews on Yelp, Google, and Facebook where our guests comment on the level of enjoyment from time spent on our e-bikes. What sets us apart, is the personal interaction and attention each of our guests receive when they rent from us. We provide them with maps and recommendations to ensure they have a great experience, tailored to their unique preferences. Many leave as friends and come back as repeat “customers”. We see ourselves as ambassadors for the Valley and put effort into guiding each quest to have the best experience during their visit.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Temecula Wine Country has many great wineries, restaurants as well as other unexpected gems. We strive to guide our guests based on their personal food and wine preferences. In this valley there is a place for every taste. Some of our personal favorite wineries are Vindemia, Robert Renzoni (good Pizza as well), and Carter Estate Winery. Old Town Temecula offers great dining with some of our personal preferences The Goat & Vine and The Small Barn. Several restaurants have exciting cocktail menus, 1909 and Be Good comes to mind, as well as the “hidden” Speakeasys like Thompson + Twain. Local craft breweries have interesting and unique offerings, with 8-Bit one of our favorites and many more for every style and taste of beer. If your taste is towards honey, you may wish to pay a visit to Batch Mead, where you also may be surprised by a tasty Hard Cider. Temecula is also home to a number of olive oil producers, with The Olive Plantation on top of our favorites list. Should you wish for a great charcuterie and/or excellent cheeses from an award winning cheese shop, you may enjoy a visit to Grazing Theory, and relax with glass of wine. To get the most of your visit, stay over for a few days. Too much to experience in a day? Stay over at Rusty Fork Ranch, Domaine Chardonnay, or The Vine House, just to name a few. And for those that can handle the early mornings, a balloon ride with Grape Escape or California Dreaming may just be the perfect start to your day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Starting this business was a husband-and-wife team effort. We relied on each other to develop our business plan, set goals and made decisions on where to seek reliable support in areas where we lacked knowledge. We appreciate the guidance and help of our website development team, Wolf & Halo, who created our attractive clean “interface” for a smooth booking experience on www.uyswines.com/ebikes.

The local tourism organization, Visit Temecula, and the Temecula Chamber of Commerce were both supportive and welcoming. The local AirBnB and Hotel communities have been very supportive, we appreciate their help in promoting as well as accommodation towards our service delivery to their guests.

Our biggest shoutout goes to our neighbors and friends, without this local support the whole idea of serving and being part of the community would be meaningless.

Website: www.uyswines.com

Instagram: @temeculaebikerentals / @uyswines

Facebook: Temecula Wine Country e-Bikes / Uys Family Vineyard

Yelp: Temecula Wine Country e-Bike Rentals

Image Credits
Paula Dominguez

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