Winemaker
(Wine Jobs:
Vineyards & Cellars )
Full Time
Niagara College Learning Enterprise Corporation
Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Ontario
NIAGARA COLLEGE LEARNING ENTERPRISE CORPORATION
135 Taylor Rd, Niagara on the Lake, ON, L0S 1J0
905-641-2252, Ext: 4076
Position:
Winemaker - Full-time
Start date:
August 2022
Reporting to:
General Manager
Duties/Responsibilities:
The successful applicant will lead a small team throughout all cellar and vineyard operations during the annual production cycle at the Niagara College Teaching Winery. The Teaching Winery comprises a 30 acre estate vineyard operation making ≈5000 cases/year of wines, ciders and meads in a wide range of styles. It is associated with a variety of food and beverage science programs at Niagara College, Canada.
Duties of the successful applicant will include but are not limited to: producing high quality wines using many different grape varieties in diverse styles; adherence and implementation of Health and Safety and Quality Assurance/Quality Control protocols; sanitation, maintenance and facilities management; fruit sampling; lab analysis; fruit processing; inoculations; fermentation management; racking and transfers; barrel management and cleaning; finings and clarification; filtration; bench trials; packaging; inventory management; documentation; regulatory compliance and reporting; and procurement. The successful candidate must be computer literate and comfortable using common office tools and cloud-based software.
The position will involve a high level of engagement in the NC Teaching Vineyard, Hopyard, and Orchard, setting and adhering to an annual budget in collaboration with our contract growers, scouting, directing seasonal operations, running wind machines, and will include occasional manual and machine work outdoors.
The successful candidate will work closely with management and marketing to promote products in the Ontario market. The position will involve a public speaking role, providing tours and tastings onsite to the public, to guests of the College and to students, as well as attending and speaking at industry events. Availability for seasonal shift work involving evenings and weekends is a requirement.
Qualifications:
A post-secondary diploma or degree in oenology and viticulture (or equivalent) required and several years of work experience including some management experience (Winemaker, Assistant Winemaker, Cellar Master etc.). A high degree of competency relating to machine operation (lift trucks, tractors, trailers, standard mechanical winery and vineyard equipment) and use and fundamental maintenance skills is desirable.
We are looking for a passionate, dependable, motivated, energetic team player who loves the Ontario wine industry and who is keen to grow and learn on the job. This is a dynamic and multifaceted commercial production environment that doubles as a classroom and research facility and attention to detail, critical thinking, professionalism and an ability to understand and balance both the commercial business and academic/student needs of the Teaching Winery is necessary. The successful candidate will work closely with professors and other staff in wine programs and many other departments at the College and communication and interpersonal skills will be highly valued.
Physical requirements:
Physical lifting, pulling and pushing of relatively heavy equipment is required daily; the job entails standing/walking for long periods of time; work occurs outdoors in all seasons and in all weather and the cellar environment is cool and damp year-round.
Compensation Information: TBD based on experience