Fixed Term Cellar Hand

Forrest Wines is a small, independent winery near Renwick, in the middle of Marlborough wine country. We make wines from a long list of Marlborough varieties, plus smaller parcels of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris from Central Otago and the Waitaki Valley. We’re a small team, so everyone’s work shows up in the glass.

We’re looking for a Cellar Hand to join us from October right through to the end of June. That’s not just vintage: it’s the whole run, from getting the 2026 wines bottle-ready to cleaning the last press after Vintage 2027.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll report to our Cellar Manager and get stuck into all of it:

• Now to summer: rackings, transfers, additions, fining, filtration, barrel work, tanker loads and bottling prep
• Harvest prep: cleaning, servicing and commissioning the winery so it’s ready to go when the fruit arrives
• Vintage 2027: fruit receival, pressing, inoculations, ferment monitoring, plunging and pump-overs on the reds, and a lot of cleaning
• Post-vintage: settling and stabilising the new wines, then packing the winery down for the year

You’ll be great at this if you

• Have at least 2 vintages under your belt
• Are confident with winery gear: pumps, presses, filters and a forklift
• Take safety and hygiene seriously, and notice the small things
• Have a practical, mechanical streak and understand how wine gets made
• Communicate well and work well in a small team
• Hold a full NZ driver’s licence and have the right to work in NZ for the full term
• Are happy to work long days, weekends and the odd night once vintage kicks off

A winemaking or science qualification is a bonus, but not essential.

The fine print

Outside vintage it’s mostly Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 4.30pm. During intake, shifts are usually up to 12 hours, 7 days a week. We’ll feed you a hot meal every shift, and keep the coffee coming.

If you like hard work, good wine and a few laughs along the way, we’d love to hear from you. Apply with your CV and a short cover letter telling us about your vintages so far.