Senior Cellar Hand

Senior Cellar Hand role supporting a premium Māori-owned wine business in Marlborough. Bring your experience, motivation and commitment.

Kono is a Māori whānau-owned food and beverage business with a proud legacy and a bold 500-year intergeneration vision. Our award-winning wines are enjoyed around the world, showcasing the craftsmanship of Tohu Wines and Kono Wines, and our commitment to protecting and enhancing our taonga for current and future generations.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Cellar Hand to take a lead role in all cellar operations and support our team to continue to produce wines that compete and perform at an international level.

About the role

This is a key senior operational role for a self-motivated, organised individual with leadership capability and proven cellar hand experience.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee and perform all cellar operations to produce top-quality wine.

• Supervise contractors and seasonal staff during harvest and critical periods.

• Ensure all cellar procedures are safe, efficient and meet quality standards.

• Collaborate with the Winemaker, Assistant Winemaker, Laboratory Manager, and operations team.

• Operate and maintain winery equipment, including RDV, Bucher presses, and Armbruster Destemmer.

• Work confidently in a laboratory environment, assisting with testing and sampling.

• Apply knowledge of winery engineering, including refrigeration infrastructure.

• Support continuous improvement initiatives in processes, equipment use and safety.

About you

  You’ll bring:

• Proven cellar hand experience, a minimum of 5 years.

• Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture or Wine making (or equivalent).

• Expert knowledge and hands-on experience with winery equipment, including RDV, Bucher presses, and Armbruster Destemmer.

• Experience with wine production processes, quality monitoring and compliance

• Confidence and competency working in a laboratory environment.

• Sound understanding of winery engineering, including refrigeration infrastructure.

• Reliability, strong communication skills and leadership capability

• Physically fit and willing to work flexible hours in variable conditions

Why Join Kono

This is a great opportunity to work in a key senior role offering fulltime hours 40hrs/week, a supportive and values driven organisation in a Senior Winery Cellar Hand role

Apply now

Please submit your CV and a brief covering letter outlining your experience and why you’re interested in this role to [email protected].  Applications close 27th September 2026