Vineyard Manager

Vineyard Manager — Mornington Peninsula
Capella Vineyard, Bittern VIC | Handpicked Wines

Handpicked Wines is an award-winning fine wine producer with a growing number of sustainably and organically managed vineyards across the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, and Barossa Valley.

We're looking for a Vineyard Manager to lead operations at our spiritual home in Bittern — 10 hectares spread across two certified-organic vineyards, alongside significant gardens surrounding the property and winery. Partnering closely with our Group Viticulturist, you'll implement viticultural strategy across the Mornington site, manage and mentor a small hands-on team, and ensure fruit of the highest quality using best-practice and certified organic methodologies. It's a small, close-knit operation — the vineyard and winery teams support each other through vintage, giving you genuine exposure to the full winemaking process alongside our Group Chief Winemaker who is based on site.

What you'll do:

• Develop and execute daily and weekly vineyard works programs, supervising staff and contractors to meet cost, quality, and safety targets
• Operate and oversee machinery, plant, and irrigation systems, including preventative maintenance and urgent breakdown response
• Lead technical viticulture: phenology and vine health monitoring, crop estimates, pest and disease management, maturity monitoring, and harvest scheduling
• Manage suppliers and purchasing in coordination with the Group Viticulturist, keeping accurate records to support invoicing
• Maintain organic certification (Sustainable Winegrowing Australia) and ensure OH&S compliance across all operations
• Train and mentor the vineyard team, fostering a culture of safety and continuous improvement, and support recruitment as the team grows
• Provide consistent, proactive reporting — written and verbal — to the Group Viticulturist, and assist with forward planning

What you'll bring:

• Certificate, Diploma, or Bachelor qualification in Viticulture, Horticulture, or Agricultural Science
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative, team-first approach
• Current driver's licence (Chemcert and forklift licence highly regarded, not essential)
• Flexibility to work extended hours during peak periods — pruning, spraying, and harvest
• Motivation to grow with a young, dynamic, and fast-growing enterprise

This is a rare chance to take real ownership of a flagship site — hands-on fieldwork, genuine mentorship, and a direct line into how Handpicked's wine actually gets made.

If this sounds like you, feel free to reach out at [email protected] for a full position description,we'd love to hear from you.