Vineyard & Cellar Manager (Wine Jobs: Vineyards & Cellars )

  Foxtrot Vineyards (http://www.foxtrotwine.com)

  Naramata, British Columbia

Foxtrot Vineyards is seeking a full-time vineyard and cellar manager to work alongside our senior winemaker. We are one of the preeminent producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Canada, harvesting grapes from our home property on the Naramata Bench, as well as from other carefully selected vineyard sites in the Okanagan Valley. We currently produce about two thousand cases per year but, with additional fruit from three young vineyard blocks on our property, we expect to double production over the coming years. We also have begun a transition to organic viticulture. We need a confident, highly skilled manager to help us form and execute our growth strategy. 

Required experience: 

·      Ample hands-on experience in vineyard management and winemaking

·      A strong educational background in viticulture and oenology

·      Excellent organizational skills and an aptitude for project management 

Responsibilities will include:

·      Care of the vineyards throughout the growing season, including working with the winemaker to create plans and schedules for pruning, spraying etc. and a multi-year plan for transition to organic practices.

·      Overseeing the elevage of barrels in the cellar, running tests, topping etc. while maintaining scrupulous cellar hygiene.

·      Identifying and advance planning for operational requirements, including making sure all supplies are on hand when needed, evaluating the need for additional equipment and, working with management and the winemaker, planning for cellar expansion to meet future needs. 

·     Making sure the cellar and office are well-organized, that all supplies and wines are accurately inventoried, and that detailed and accurate records are kept of all activities;

·      Working long hours during harvest season, and assisting the winemaker in planning and carrying out the vinification process and in keeping management informed in a timely fashion of any issues as they arise. 

·     Helping to establish and operate an onsite tasting room. 

·     Regular reporting to management to review plans and execution.

 

 The ideal candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, self-reliant and a good communicator, and will have a background in, and deep knowledge of all aspects of, viticulture (including organic practices) and vinification. Some experience in marketing is preferred. The job requires manual labor as well as intellectual labor.  Pay and benefits will be commensurate with experience, and there is a possibility of living rent-free on the property.

 

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