Enologist

The Enologist will lead all wine production-from harvest planning through bottling-while protecting product quality, compliance, and safety. During seasonal lulls, they will partner with front-of-house teams to shape the wine program, cover busy tasting-room shifts, and act as the public face of the Winery at National CORE and Hope through Housing Foundation events.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Vintage Planning & Procurement - lock in tonnage, varietal mix, cooperage, and cold-storage needs; secure fruit, bins, and proper transport; maintain crush-to-bottle critical path.
• Harvest & Cellar Operations - oversee crush pad, fermentation management, SO/MLF protocols, topping, sanitation, and equipment service; keep daily production logs.
• Quality & Compliance - maintain bonded-winery, CDFA weighmaster, and Cal/OSHA records; coordinate lab analyses and sensory panels; draft fault-mitigation SOPs.
• Labor & Safety Management - hire, train, and schedule cellar and seasonal staff; enforce Cal/OSHA PPE, CO, confined-space, and forklift rules.
• Tasting-Room Integration - collaborate with temporary tasting-room / wine & beer bar staff to build flight lists, pairing notes, and staff training materials; provide floor coverage on high-traffic evenings or when staffing gaps arise.
• Brand Advocacy & Events - serve as spokesperson at on-site and off-site functions, wine auctions, and National CORE/Hope through Housing events; deliver engaging talks on vineyard history, winemaking, and featured bottles.
• Supply & Cost Control - forecast and order additives, packaging, inert gas; track consumables against budget, flagging >10 % variances.
• Renovation Interface - coordinate production schedule with construction shutdowns; sign off on drains, floors, and HVAC before recommissioning.
• Regulatory Liaison - act as primary contact for ABC licensing, wastewater, storm-water, and Cal/OSHA inspections.
• Other Duties - lead periodic cellar/tasting-room cross-training and assist with special projects as business needs evolve.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree and Certificate or Associates in Enology, Viticulture, Food Science, or related field.
• 3+ years lead winemaking experience.
• Working knowledge of Cal/OSHA General Industry orders; current forklift certification.
• Strong interpersonal skills for customer-facing events; proficient in Microsoft 365 and wine-production software (e.g., InnoVint, 360 Winery, Vintrace).
• Able to lift 55 lbs, climb barrel stacks, and stand 8 hours.

DESIRED CREDENTIALS

• Two or more wines scoring above 90 with Wine Enthusiast or Wine Spectator; HACCP certification.

WORK SCHEDULE

• Core hours Mon-Fri; additional evenings/weekends offsets during harvest and public events

FLSA

• Exempt

PAY

• $75,000 - 80,000/year