WineTalent is working with our winery client to find a Lab Manager – Enologist to join the company.
About the Company: Our client is a well-respected, luxury wine producer in the heart of the Napa Valley. The wines are produced from all estate grown fruit. The winery has a proven commitment to producing wines of the highest quality.
About the Position: The Lab Manager will be responsible for Quality Assurance throughout the entire winemaking process, from grape sampling to bottling. The Lab Manager will carry out routine laboratory analysis on juice and wine samples and maintain accurate records of results. This position will have frequent interaction with the Winemaker and cellar staff, be aware of all winery activities and monitor the evolution of the wine. The Lab Manager will also be responsible for maintaining all inventories of lab chemicals and supplies, wine and dry goods, tracking cellar work orders and activities as they affect inventories and maintain all production records. The Lab Manager will oversee the acquisition of dry goods and logistics during packaging, bottling and warehousing of wine. This role supervises harvest interns and has daily interaction with the production team. As needed, the Lab Manager will write and maintain SOPs for the laboratory and the cellar.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Laboratory
• Update standardization protocols and analytical procedures.
• Maintain and update testing procedures
• Maintain accurate record of test results
• Maintain, calibrate and troubleshoot laboratory equipment and offer solutions as necessary
• Ensure accurate analysis, compare results against previous data and re-run if results are not within specifications
• Check lab analysis against external lab analysis to verify accuracy
• Perform monthly volatile acidity and free SO2 analyses on all aging wine lots
• Perform full analytical panel on all lots at racking (every three months)
• Perform analysis panels as per Analysis Request Calendar (harvest and malolactic)
• Sample tanks and barrels as necessary, and request samples from cellar team
• Record results in vintage log
• Conduct sensorial testing for wine defects
• Maintain current inventory of lab chemicals and supplies and order as necessary
• Alert Winemaker to potential issues with analysis or other observations
• Investigate new lab protocols and methods
• Ensure proper safety procedures are followed in the lab
Laboratory Analyses
• Autotitrator
o Total Acidity
o Free SO2
• Auto-analyzer (SMARTCHEM) or Spectrophotometer (enzymatic)
o Volatile Acidity
o Malic Acid
o Residual Sugar
o Nitrogen/Ammonia
• Carbodoser
o CO2
• Alcolyzer
o Alcohol
• pH meter
o pH
• NTU meter
o NTU
• Spectrophotometer
o Tannins – A280
o Anthocyanins
• Invisible Sentinel – PCR
o Brettanomyces
• Microscope
o Microbiological observations of yeast and bacteria
• Refractometer
o Brix
• Glories Method
o Phenolic sampling during harvest
Winemaking Related Responsibilities
• Participate in daily cellar crew meeting and interaction with cellar crew
• Calculate and confirm wine additions
• Write and maintain SOP’s for laboratory and cellar
• Prepare egg-white fining and filtration trials and other benchtop trials as needed
• Prepare trial blends and determine AVA and varietal breakdown
• Understand winemaking and aging process to plan and organize analyses annually
• Perform sensorial analysis and alert supervisor to any potential quality issues
• Calculate and confirm additions
• Proactively check analyses on lots according to stage or intervention
• Prepare bulk wine samples
Inventories and Traceability
• Enter work orders into cellar record keeping document
• Maintain intermediate inventory
• Prepare end of month bulk inventory
• Participate in annual physical inventory
• Ensure that traceability is completed (in coordination with cellar master)
Bottling
• Realize pre-bottling analyses
• Prepare bottling work order
• Assist in pre-bottling organization (warehouse map, logistics, storage placement of bottles)
• Ensure quality control during bottling
• Realize inventory count
• Enter bottling work order and create bottling summary
• Supply cage labels
• Realize end of bottling dry goods inventory
Packaging
• Order dry goods (labels, foils, cases) and coordinate delivery and storage
• Prepare warehouse maps and packaging logs
• Realize pre-packaging analyses
• Assist in pre-packaging meeting
• Perform quality control checks on all dry goods (labels, filters, cases)
• Ensure quality control during packaging
• Realize end of day inventory count
• Enter packaging work order and create packaging summary
• Realize end of bottling dry goods inventory
Managing of Intern
• Prepare intern introduction and training plan
• Train and manage lab intern sampling methods, sample rows, grape analysis and data entry
• Organize and evaluate intern’s work schedule
• Coordinate sampling and grape ripening analysis
• Layout and monitor activities during the workday (with Winemaker)
Cork Selection
• Sample, prepare and perform cork quality control, including sensory analysis, for lot selection
• Create cork sensory report summary
• Maintain relationship with cork suppliers
• Prepare cork purchase orders
• Track “corked” bottles from tasting room
Sustainability
• Update sustainability documents
• Investigate potential areas of improvement
• Organize audits
Qualifications:
• BS in Fermentation Science or related science field
• Experience with lab equipment and research methodology
• At least 3 years of wine industry experience, including hands-on laboratory experience
• Good Excel skills
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects
• Ability to function independently
Compensation and Benefits: This is a full-time, hourly position. During harvest and other times of peak activity there will be overtime hours. Benefits include healthcare, dental, life insurance, 401K plan with company match and possible subsidized company housing.
About WineTalent: WineTalent is a wine industry focused recruitment company. We work closely with our clients and our job seekers to find the right fit of talents, experience and work environment. All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential.
Please email resume and all inquiries to amy@winetalent.net
