Winemaker (Wine Jobs: Vineyards & Cellars )

  Laughing Stock Vineyards (http://www.laughingstock.ca)

  Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Laughing Stock Vineyards is a boutique, 8,000 case winery located on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley. We are dedicated to producing handcrafted, super premium wines of quality and distinction. We produce primarily red wines and purposely keep our product line very focused.

The winemaker role is a key member of the leadership team and is responsible for creating a premium product from vineyard to bottle. The winemaker oversees the daily operations of production, from harvest to final blending and bottling. The role is also responsible for the quality and overall style of each wine.

The winemaker will report to existing Owner/Winemaker who has established the process and procedures that have proven repeatable and highly successful over the past 14 years, with a goal to assume responsibility for winemaking over the next year.

Key Roles: 

• Lead winemaking duties including pressing, fermentation, racking, filtering, sensory analysis, lab analysis, blending and bottling.
• The lab is VQA certified and has a proper calibrated Enofoss lab analysis unit. Incumbent will be required to continue this certification as well as be competent with the Enofoss.
• Work to maintain an established, consistent style and enhance quality from year to year. 
• Supervise and coordinate with the vineyard team in growing quality grapes
• Assist in developing and manage operating budgets, wine costing budgets, and capital budgets to meet sales targets and operational goals.
• Research and order supplies and ingredients while effectively managing supplier relationships.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing team on the bottling schedule to produce wines in a timely manner to meet market demand while maximizing wine quality.
• Responsible for warehouse organization and management
• Ensuring a clean and safe workplace.
• Hire, train, schedule and supervise seasonal/occasional staff, as required.

You must have:

• Post-secondary qualifications in wine making
• Experience with Bordeaux-style blends, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris
• Minimum 8 years’ wine making experience with 2+ years in management role
• Thorough viticulture knowledge
• An entrepreneurial spirit and be a self-starter within a compact team
• Solid mechanical aptitude with a keen interest in problem solving when it comes to winery equipment and operations
• High attention to detail and ability to multi-task
• Sound computer knowledge and detail oriented record keeping complete with excellent excel skills
• A team player attitude and experience leading, teaching and managing direct reports
• A business acumen to understand the complete workings of the winery
• Fork lift operator certificate and superb skills

You will need:

• To live in or close to the South Okanagan region.  Only people legal and able to work in Canada will be considered.
• To be able to work some evenings and weekends
• Be available to accept the position in next 4 to 6 weeks