Winemaking Intern - Ripon

The Wine Group•Ripon, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the supervision of the Winemaker, Intern Winemaking duties will vary with the intent to participate in the overall wine quality from grape to finished product while following sustainable TWG practices. The intern will be required to spend a given amount of time shadowing different roles within the facility to gain knowledge and understand practices, processes while developing leadership skills. Hiring for various locations in California including: Fresno, Glen Ellen - Benziger Family Winery, Ripon, Soledad, Woodbridge Winery.

Requirements

Must be 21 years or older upon starting employment.
Enrolled in or recent graduate of an undergraduate program in Viticulture and Enology
Must be a college student or recent graduate, Junior Level in coursework, or above.
Must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Must be able to commit to a minimum of six months of full-time work.
Must be highly proficient in Microsoft Office, the Internet and computer aptitude.
Excels at creative problem solving.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
Strong attention to detail and the ability to determine the root cause of the problem.
Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills with attention to detail
Prioritize while able to adapt to changing priorities.
Ability work independently within set guidelines
Demonstrated reliability and punctuality, work effectively in team/crew environment, adherence to all safety regulations and operating procedures.

Responsibilities

Shadow different roles within the facility to gain knowledge and understand practices, processes while developing leadership skills (e.g., Cellar, Compliance, Winemaking, and Analytical Lab)
Analytical Lab: Learn all the various lab procedures and identify wine specs for all the different varietals upon completion. Pull tank samples which will aid in the learning of the tank farm.
Sanitation: Participate in the overall sanitation of the facility prior to the season. Learn the basics behind the process prior to the start of crush. Work closely with the cellar employees during the completion of this process.
Crush: Supervise all grape processing during crush season. Ensure sanitation has been properly completed prior to the daily startup. Responsible for the grape trucks from the test stand to the tanks. Work closely with the crusher lead and operators to ensure nothing goes to the wrong tank. Ensure that additions and circulations are completed on time and in the correct manner. Ensure that tanks are drained/pressed at the right times based on directions from winemaking.
Participate in daily fermenter tasting and conduct tank walks twice per day.
Participate in and document all production scale winemaking trials.
Make decisions based on winemaking knowledge, using all facts to support the decision.
Aid winemaking/cellar to ensure processing is conducted in the correct manner after crush.
May be required to write work orders under the direction of the Winemaker.
Assist the winemaker and compliance in the process of closing completed work orders.
Stay up to date with all cellar processing. Answer questions about various states of processing when approached by others.
Participate in all benchtop trials as directed by winemaking (fining, blending, etc.).
Learn why and how each piece of equipment functions in the cellar by spending time with each of the operators on the various pieces of equipment around the winery.
Provide a status report on the internship upon completion of each of the major tasks.