Job Title: Assistant Winemaker

Reports To: General Manager | Winemaker

Location: Los Olivos, CA

About Us...

Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards is a family-owned and operated business located in the heart of Santa Barbara County’s premier wine-growing region. Established in 1973, we fuse the past with the present by honoring tradition while continuously exploring opportunities for growth and development to improve our people-first culture, wine quality, and sustainable practices.

Our location, surrounded by the San Rafael Mountains offers stunning office views of vineyards and mountain landscapes.

About Our Open Role...

We seek a motivated and enthusiastic individual to lead our cellar and laboratory team. The Assistant Winemaker is responsible for the day-to-day operations of wine production from harvest to bottling. You will be able to work with Rhone and Burgundian grape varieties sourced from esteemed vineyards in Santa Barbara County.

The major responsibilities of this position include:

❏ Monitor wine quality through organoleptic evaluation and interpretation of chemical and microbiological analyses. Make recommendations and/or implement solutions to further develop the wines, while also factoring in quality, resources, labor, and compliance.

❏ Maintain records for bulk wine inventory including wine movements, inventory tracking, and bottling.

❏ Train, supervise, motivate, and develop all seasonal, part-time, and full-time cellar and laboratory personnel.

❏ Actively participates in the strategic planning process by weighing in on the annual production and laboratory budget.

❏ Develop and implement standard operating procedures for the cellar and laboratory consistent with the quality standards prescribed by the Winemaker.

❏ Purchase supplies and equipment for production, the laboratory, and bottling operations. Track and manage inventory.

❏ Coordinate with vendors and schedule service for winery and facility equipment maintenance and repairs.

❏ Represent and promote the public image of Zaca Mesa and Tread wines with active participation in community events and activities, seminars, tours, virtual tastings, and wine education.

❏ Implement the annual safety training program for the winery.

About You...

Words that people use to describe you include, initiative-taking, hard-working, honest, leader, and passionate. You perform well under pressure while maintaining a cheerful outlook. You are a natural leader who is accountable and dependable and appreciates that, in a small business environment, everyone pitches in to ensure goals are met. You are a collaborator who motivates and empowers others to achieve maximum productivity and organizational success. You are enthusiastic about producing exceptional site-driven wines reflective of Santa Barbara County.

What You Bring...

● Bachelor’s degree in Enology, Fermentation Science, Chemistry, or related sciences.

● 5 years of experience in hands-on cellar and laboratory operations.

● Strong knowledge of production and laboratory equipment and operations.

● Well-developed organoleptic skills.

● Experience with compliance, safety, and regulatory reporting.

● Effective communication skills; written, oratory, and presentation skills.

● Ability to work weekends and extended hours.

● Must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

What We Offer…

We are a team of wine industry professionals and enthusiasts with a proven history of low employee turnover, directly resulting from our people-first culture and family ownership. If you are enthusiastic about producing exceptional wine and would like to join an experienced team of production and vineyard professionals, we would be interested in having you join us.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits including, 401k with employer matching, health, dental & vision, paid vacation, holiday pay, & employee wine discounts. We provide extensive training, tools, and resources to set our applicants up for success.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $67,000.00 - $72,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• On-the-job training
• Paid sick time
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Extended hours
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Ability to Relocate:

• Los Olivos, CA 93441: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person