Associate Winemaker - Chalone Vineyard

Purpose Provides accurate lab analyses pertinent to wine quality, bottling line quality assurance and participate in all aspects of winemaking from grapes to bottle. Manage the cellar team and lab.

Financial Responsibility Will be held responsible for not exceeding winery lab budget and assist with lab budget planning.

Complexity of Role This role will need to work closely with the finance dept, cellar, lab and winemaking, winery facilities and maintenance, winegrowing/vineyard dept.

Management Responsibility

Supervise harvest lab intern

Operational Supervisory Responsibilities

One Team Lead & 3 full time Cellar employees

Decision Making

· Determine additions to be made to production wines based on analytical results and the winemaker’s established criteria for additions. Appropriate additions need to be made to maintain integrity and quality of wines.

·Determine the point at which cellar or bottling activities should cease due to quality considerations and resolve the situation through trouble-shooting. Report situations like this to the winemaker whether or not resolution has been reached.

Key Outputs/Deliverables

·Manage daily cellar full operations.

· Ensure procedures are precisely followed to maintain quality and consistency. Monitor and modify SOP’s to ensure wines are protected from chemical, microbial, and cross contamination.

·Monitor, evaluate lab analyses ensuring proper levels of all constituents are maintained. Also, smell and taste to ensure there are no odors from sulfide production or from microbial contamination.

·Work with wine tracker to enter data in the WiPS bulk wine tracking system

·Develop and implement safety training to ensure compliance

·Monitor and track grape maturity, provide analysis on grape juice, and work Winemaker to assure accurate and timely additions.

·Analyze winery business plan and lead capital projects as necessary

·Assist with blending, tasting coordination and winemaking tasks as needed. Maintain wine quality by monitoring of standard operating procedures established by winemakers.

·Fill the role of winery safety and food safety officer, assuring compliance with all OSHA and FDA

·Organize and adhere to winemaking activities and schedule to ensure wines meet bottling schedule

·Manage and direct winemaking practices to ensure optimal product quality and style profile

· Support vineyard program plans through grape management strategy with a focus on quality, value and allocation amounts

·SME on TTB regulations, winery equipment and production methods in current winery

·Ability to interpret information to solve problems and resolve winemaking issues to achieve winemaking targets

·Identify opportunities for CAPEX improvements, advocate for and provide justification in order to improve cost, quality and service and other business goals

·Leverages continuous improvement to ensure state of the art winemaking technology is utilized

·Responsible for managing spends to accomplish budgetary objectives

·Manages internal and external relationships to accomplish business plans

· Leads, trains and directs teams directly & indirectly

Experience

· BA/BS in Enology or related field or UC Davis Winemaking Certificate with minimum 5 yrs exp.

· Understanding of the winemaking process and quality factors at each stage

· Ability to troubleshoot and problem-solve cellar and laboratory issues

· Computer literate; MS Office. Intermediate level for Excel and Basic Word experience.

· Good verbal and written communication, organizational and multi-task skills

· Demonstrated hands on lab and analytical skills

· Demonstrated ability to analyze projects/processes, implement recommendations, and make decisions in support of business needs.

· Knowledge/experience in vineyard operations.

· Demonstrated ability to lead/develop staff.

· Experience in vineyard operations.

· Ability to travel to various locations as needed

· Valid CA drivers license

Associate Winemaker - Chalone Vineyard