WINEMAKER
WOLSELEY

Mountain Ridge Wines is situated in the beautiful Breedekloof Valley, a developing region which has the potential to produce unique high-quality wines. This is the ideal opportunity for a dynamic candidate to establish him-/herself in the industry via exposure to large scale winemaking, boutique production and marketing.

The successful candidate will report to the CEO, and be required to successfully manage and motivate a team of ten subordinates. He/she will work closely within a focused team consisting of financial, marketing and sales departments. It will be required of the incumbent to collaborate regularly with local growers/winemakers along with producers outside of the region, and to stay informed of winemaking trends on the world-stage through tasting and producer visits.

General Responsibilities:

• All aspects of winemaking operations from receipt of grapes through to finished wine in the bottle
• Refine and execute a Winemaking Plan that outlines quality and style objectives
• Ensure that winemaking operations meet expectations of clients
• Work in conjunction with growers to determine harvest timing and picking decisions that maximize grape quality for winemaking objectives
• Stock and budgetary control
• Implement and drive Quality Control Systems
• Wine administration (SAWIS, WineMS, WIETA, IPW, BRC, ISO)
• Manage and motivate subordinates through effective personnel management
• Maintenance and housekeeping
• Drive continuous improvement via training of personnel and process efficiencies
• Represent the winery and its brands at various marketing opportunities

Requirements:

• At least 5 years’ experience in winemaking
• BSc degree in Viticulture and Oenology or similar qualification
• Knowledge and skills in production management and quality control
• Technical knowledge of winemaking machinery and equipment
• Familiar with various quality control systems (IPW, BRC, HACCP, WIETA)
• Computer skills (MS Office / WineMS)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (Afrikaans and English)
• Experience, passion and commitment for producing quality wine with a creative drive to be innovative
• High analytical and observation skills
• Ability to perform well in both a team context and individually

Mountain Ridge offers a competitive salary and housing benefit.