Tasting Room Manager

Wente Family Estates•Livermore, CA

3h•Onsite

About The Position

The Tasting Room Manager is responsible for the comprehensive oversight and strategic development of the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) operation, specifically focusing on the tasting rooms at Murrieta’s Well and Wente Vineyards. This role encompasses staffing, including hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management, as well as collaborating on business solutions and goals for all DTC sales channels like wine club, telemarketing, and events. Key responsibilities include financial forecasting and budgeting, optimizing process efficiencies, driving club membership acquisition and retention, and fostering a strong sales culture through team development and KPI tracking. The manager will also be a technology expert for POS and reservation systems, ensure team members are well-informed, maintain high guest satisfaction, prioritize safety, build a high-performing team, manage VIP customer relationships, and stay knowledgeable about wines and winery history. This position requires strong leadership, ethical conduct, and a commitment to the company's values of Respect, Integrity, Sustainability, and Excellence, including active participation in wine club release dates and events, inventory management, and customer service.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years working in a winery and/or the hospitality industry
Passion for food and wine, excellent wine knowledge and demonstrated ability to sell wine
Ability to deliver the ultimate in guest satisfaction; strong hospitality skills
Strong leadership skills
Able to provide critical feedback and disciplinary action if needed
Commitment to excellence and high standards
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills
Ability to manage workflow, with the ability to shift priorities, as needed; viewing challenges and demands with a positive attitude
Professional appearance and demeanor
Demonstrated ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, and percentages
Creative, flexible, and innovative team player
Demonstrated proficiency in supervising and motivating employees
Maintain a view of the overall business situation when making decisions and creating procedures
Professionally represent the organization when in contact with guests and vendors
Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance

Nice To Haves

Wine education credentials are a plus
Merchandising and marketing experience in a retail environment a plus

Responsibilities

Staffing, including but not limited to the successful supervision, hiring, onboarding/offboarding, scheduling
Payroll completion process, annual performance review, training, coaching and development
Collaborate and help ideate business solutions and goals for the entire DTC operation, including the tasting rooms at Murrieta’s Well and Wente Vineyards, as well as the other important sales channels such as wine club, telemarketing, concierge phone service, and events with the goal of helping to generate an integrated holistic business strategy and tactics
Responsible for forecasting, budgeting monthly and annually with strong adherence to staying within budget using KPI measurements
Work cross functionally to create process efficiencies within each Tasting Room and will share best practices which support the overall DTC operation
Ensure tasting room and club experiences are synchronized
Champion club membership acquisition and partner on the retention strategies to combat attrition
Promote a sales culture by training and developing team on sales strategies, bonus and incentive program management and KPI tracking on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
Oversee sales performance in the room by measuring bottles per person sold, average bottle price, club conversion and more
Responsible for revenue performance to budget
System and data management- leverage POS and reservation technologies to capture customer data
Be a Commerce 7 and Cellar Pass technology expert in DTC
Ensure that all team members are updated with all current information: company policies, wine and vintage characteristics, and marketplace information including trade information, new release timing and upcoming club information
Understand and meet guest needs; anticipate/exceed guest expectations
Prioritize safety standards and represent the Hospitality/DTC departments on the general safety committee, as well as the safety steering committee
Build & sustain a high-performing team that is motivated, engaged, goal orientated and provides exceptional service to internal and external guests
Maintain relationships with VIP customers and club members
Remain knowledgeable about wines, viticulture, winemaking techniques, and winery history
Supervise leads and wine sales ambassadors on floor and lead by example, motivating and inspiring sales staff, aiding the high hospitality standards of the winery, and facilitating an energized sales environment at the register, greeting areas, and back of the house
Support clear expectations and levels of accountability for the team
Assigning responsibilities, empowering others, delegating, removing obstacles to success, and facilitating and identifying needed resources for closely-monitored progress
Help in developing customer facing educational experiences and unique wine experiences that drive incremental revenue
Demonstrate leadership through sound business decisions, high ethical standards, values and behavior
Builds trust within their teams and other departments
Keep up to date on staff performance, identifying issues and taking corrective action
Strong in working with a diverse team and building a strong supportive culture that fits the Wente pillars of Respect , Integrity, Sustainability and Excellence
Manage staff for wine club release dates and events, working personally on every key release date and party
Maintain physical inventory of wine and non-wine items in the tasting room, facilitate monthly inventory counts, complete proper inventory paperwork for winery samples and promotional accounts
Coordinate with DTC Operations manager to ensure proper flow and accountability
Respond to customer requests, suggestions or complaints