Meet Jenifer Freebairn | Singer, Songwriter, Global Wine Business Executive, Bootstrapping vintner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenifer Freebairn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenifer, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I have always made music. I have always worked in food and wine. And now I have a tiny wine brand with my winemaker husband as well. For me, work and play have always been a mix of activities that spring from my interests, and together create balance. Work has a different meaning for each of us and its role in our life changes over time. We may over-identify with certain kinds of work while building a career to lift us from where we are, and as the wins show us what we can do, the losses bring us closer to who we are.

Nothing inspired me more than being around composers and musicians, growing up in a music and entertainment family. Not the glitz, but the artistry behind the scenes – the look in their eyes, the sense of a quiet devotion to noticing moments and details – and the ability to turn sounds and words into compositions that can reach us wherever we are and move us so deeply. Subsequently, as a songwriter I’ve had the incredible fortune to live this practice, and to collaborate with more admired artists than I could ever have imagined.

From my first job in high school, restaurant work played a prominent role in my life, from the feral frenzy of Santo Pietro’s in Beverly Glen to the ethereal elegance of Michael Cimarusti’s influence at Water Grill in DTLA before he and Donato Poto moved on to opening Providence. I treasure those experiences, immersed in the orchestrated chaos, serving humanity a meal and elevating the experience, and all with such an intimate view into how people behave and relate to each other. Work life balance meant simply working as smart as I could, to make as much as I could, having as many adventures as I could, to pay for university, travel, band, and rent. And along with deep wine and food knowledge, I gained other skills – confidence, empathy, Spanish language, management – while making meaningful personal and professional connections.

I’ve made some money as a songwriter, performer, and session singer/player, I’ve occupied every role in restaurants from server to wine steward to manager, and when these paths played themselves out, it was my fascination with wine that forged a new one. I took a dynamic role with Paul Hobbs (winemaker) in Sebastopol, as his star was rising, which immersed me not just in marketing and sales, but winegrowing, winemaking, package design, international business, etc. It was a broader, more intense role than many of its kind and in my twelve years there, we made and grew many fine wine brands around the world, very much by hand.

I think it’s meaningful to note here that there’s a symbiosis between driven entrepreneurs and the “over-extenders” who help them build their business. I’ve benefitted from that dynamic and so have those I’ve worked for. I couldn’t have built a more comprehensive skillset, in a business matched to my interests, by getting an MBA for example. Instead of incurring that expense and then having to be trained in real world wine business, I over-contributed my time and dedication in exchange for a priceless education where I was able to be of value while continually expanding my business acumen and sensibilities.

Currently, balance comes in the form of being able to do more with fewer moves and a greater sense of internal ease, even when things are hard. In the big scheme of things, we certainly don’t choose our circumstances, so I’m aware that much of my current situation is simply good fortune. I savor each moment with a more immediate sense of impermanence, knowing things will continue to change without my request or permission.

What should our readers know about your business?
Life experience has allowed me to create a tiny new wine brand with my winemaker husband, tailored to fit into our lives rather than take over. We have great jobs in the wine world with other brands, and so our brand is about making a little gem of a wine each vintage, from a different special vineyard, rather than a whole line of wines. We own no buildings or vineyards, and our wines are made possible by the relationships we have been lucky to build with esteemed growers over our many years in the wine business. We’ve made and marketed wines for some of the country’s finest brands and it’s so sweet to finally be making some of our own together.

It is called Wow and Flutter, which is a sonic term for imperfections in analog recording that contribute to its character. The name resonates with us as a way of describing the role Mother Nature plays in winegrowing and winemaking – the x factor that is always just beyond our control.

I’m glad to know that you can shape a business to your life rather than have it overtake your life. And I’ve learned along the way that my nature is to enjoy infinite games, meaning that rather than short-term win/win or win/lose projects, I am far more interested in endeavors that are about building something sustainable that lasts, whether in the wine business, as a music professional, Board Director for the Parks, etc. I have learned to remember to do what comes naturally, in a world where some of us think that if we’re not constantly pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone, we’re somehow not doing enough.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Now that I’m a tourist in my hometown, I can’t help but lean to total nostalgia, despite my excitement for the proliferation of incredible restaurants and hangouts that are everywhere in LA these days.

I would start at the coast, with the hike that used to be outside my door in Topanga – from Trippet Ranch up to Eagle Rock – followed by lunch at the Inn of the Seventh Ray and then a play at the Theatricum Botanicum and dinner at Froggy’s Fish Market.

I would walk around the Venice canals and have breakfast at Gjusta, then heading toward downtown, I would stop for sushi at one of too many incredible places, see some art at the Broad or MOCA, have a snack at Central Market, then hit a Jazz Bakery performance – even though it’s no longer a ‘place’ like it was when it was our regular hangout, they are still a beacon of great music at various venues – or be lucky enough to catch Dwight Trible or whatever Kamau Daáood and company have going on at the World Stage. Late night sushi at Hama in DTLA.

If we lucked into winter day when the sky is actually bright and blue after it rains, I would do a morning hike in Los Feliz from the Ferndell to the Observatory, with a stop at the The Trails Cafe for lavender scones. I’d have gone to Shula and Esther’s for shakshuka, but I heard they closed! So… I’d go to Carousel for Armenian food, a walk around Huntington Gardens, have dinner in Highland Park and hope to have an Airbnb to return to, high up on Mulholland Drive with a view of the city toward the coast.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, has been my most important writing mentor. Among the myriad helpful books on writing, this is the one that delivered me to the act of writing – just like that – through the discipline of keeping the pen moving as the editor falls away, so that writing can happen. Her simple anecdotes followed by simple exercises allowed me to just drop into writing, which was and remains a total thrill. I don’t know how many copies of this book I’ve given away but it’s my go-to. Thank you, Natalie Goldberg.

And… I give big props to my husband. We have been yin yang-ing along for years now, clanking like pots and flowing like water, working out kinks, and shepherding ourselves and each other as best we can with new information reshaping our perspectives all the time. He knows me better than anyone, he is my biggest supporter, we have a lot of fun, and our relationship is an irreplaceable living gift.

Website: https://jeniferfreebairn.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeniferfreebairn/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenifer-freebairn-0018b91/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/77081858/admin/feed/posts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenifer.freebairn/, https://www.facebook.com/jeniferfreebairnmusic/, https://www.facebook.com/wowandflutterwinery/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTGWEqcDJbs3ASm1DwJ5iKw, https://www.youtube.com/@woodworkcollective

Image Credits
Band photo at Sweetwater: Philip Liborio Gangi
All the rest were taken by my husband or me.