Assistant Winemaker

About the role

Ideal for those wishing to pursue and further develop their winemaking career, this role offers broad exposure and training to vintage and winery operations in a dynamic environment. You'll be working under the guidance of senior winemaking staff, gaining valuable hands-on skills across all aspects of winery operations from grape receival through to tasting and preparing wines for bottling.

Key responsibilities

• Grape receival: fruit intake, sampling, weighing, analysis
• Grape crushing and pressing operations
• Fermentation: inoculations/yeast preparation, temperature checks, Baume testing, data entry
• Cellar work: pump-overs, plunging, racking, transfers, juice/wine movements, additions (as directed)
• Barrel work: filling, topping, washing, analysis checks
• High standard of equipment hygiene: tanks, pumps, presses, hoses, fittings, floors
• General duties: forklift, housekeeping, waste management, record keeping, safety checks
• Competent laboratory techniques and perform laboratory analysis
• Computer programmed winemaking record keeping and data entry skills

About you

• Enthusiastic, reliable, safety-minded and a team player
• Strong work ethic with ability to perform manual tasks
• Comfortable working long shifts and weekends during the vintage harvest period
• Excellent attention to detail and communication skills
• Completed tertiary winemaking qualifications or currently studying a tertiary winemaking qualification is preferred
• Previous and advanced levels of on the job winery vintage and cellar experience are required
• Forklift licence required (or willingness to obtain) + current driver licence required
• RSA or willingness to obtain (for occasional events)
• Must have Australian work rights

About us

Petersons Wines, in partnership with Hunter Valley Wine Contractors, is a respected and long-established Hunter Valley wine producer.