Meet Johnny & Keli | Curated Wines

We had the good fortune of connecting with Johnny & Keli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Johnny & Keli, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We started Curated Wines after discovering a deep love for wine during Covid Lockdown. Tasting and learning became a joyful part of our bubble (pairing regions with food and stories).

Afterward, we chose to share that passion and create a space where others could learn, taste, and explore wine in the same fun, engaging way. Keli dedicated her time outside of her law practice to studying the Sommelier program, while Johnny left the film industry to ‘retire’ into the wine business.

Our purpose was making wine approachable, educational, and community driven.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Curated Wines is a boutique wine shop and tasting room dedicated to sharing unique wines from small, independent producers around the world. We seek out bottles with soul, story, and exceptional value—wines that offer character without a high price tag.

We’ve faced a lot of challenges. We opened in the heart of Hollywood during the writer’s strike, which was quickly compounded by the actors’ strike. We’ve had to manage around “dry January.” And most of all, we’ve had to weather an unpredictable economy. We’ve also learned that we have to rely on each other and our staff. Keli’s work as an immigration lawyer has gotten extremely busy and pressure-filled lately, and Johnny, Mia and Alison have pitched in and taken over a lot of her duties. When Johnny has spent every day at the shop for too many days in a row, Keli, Alison and Mia have encouraged him to take a weekend away. We look out for each other.

We want people to see us as more than just a wine shop. We’ve created a cozy spot to kick back, share stories, and explore new bottles. There’s no pressure to know a lot about wine. Just bring your curiosity, slow down, and stay a while.

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?
First, we would definitely stop for a wine-tasting at Curated Wines – the most fun wine shop in town. After that, we would go to one of our favorite restaurants in the area – Republique, Osteria La Buca, Ronan, or our neighbors at Wirtshaus, a great neighborhood spot for German food. Our favorite place for lunch is All Seasons Brewery, a refurbished Firestone tire station that is just a few blocks from where we live. And don’t forget – we are in the heart of Hollywood. There’s a good play or comedy show going on every night of the week.

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?
We’re incredibly grateful for the people who helped bring this dream to life. Keli’s law partner deserves a huge shoutout for giving her the time and space to dive into wine studies and certifications. Keli’s twin sister Sheli and her family cheered her on, studied with her, and have become some of our most loyal customers. The amazing crew at Black Cat Creative lent their talent and time to help us design and build out the shop while we waited (and waited) for our liquor license. Their creativity brought the space to life.

And last but certainly not least is our brilliant staff, Alison and Mia—whose passion, energy, and connection with our customers have kept us going. Their belief in what we’re building has been our backbone. We would not be here without them.

Website: http://curated-wines.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/96951774

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CuratedWinesLA

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/curated-wines-los-angeles

Image Credits
photos by Curated Wines