Harvest Lab Intern (2017) (Wine Jobs: Vineyards & Cellars )

  Willamette Valley Vineyards

  Turner, Oregon

Classification: Full-time, seasonal

Anticipated Start Date: Late August or Early September

Employment Duration: 6-8 weeks 

Position Overview:  Assist the Winemaking team team during the harvest season, with an emphasis on laboratory support and quality control.  

Willamette Valley Vineyards does not provide temporary housing for employees. The winery is not served by public transportation, requiring the successful candidate to have reliable transportation.

Primary Job Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Vineyard maturity sampling and processing.
• Perform laboratory analysis on juice and wine. These analysis include Brix, pH, TA, Malic acid, YAN, FSO2/ ethanol and enzymatics via spectroscopy.
• Responsible for taking Daily Brix and Temps, sampling tanks and barrels.
• Record and communicate accurate lab records.
• Communicate and work with the lab and cellar crew to monitor fermentations, including cleaning, sampling and some additions.
• Data entry and record keeping on Vintrace (VINX2).\Responsible for the overall cleanliness and organization of the lab.
• Daily set-up and calibration of laboratory equipment.
• Set-up various wine trials as requested by winemaking.
• Prepare and standardize reagents.
• Communicate effectively with winemaking staff.
• Ensures all company policies and procedures are followed.
• Support the company’s effort to create a more sustainable, cross-cultural and “green” environment.
• Other tasks as assigned by the Head Winemaker or Production Manager. 

Requirements 

• Coursework in Viticulture and Enology strongly preferred, working toward BS or MS in V&E; or a completed degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biology or enology is acceptable.
• Actual chemistry experience is preferred and previous winery/lab experience is preferred but not required. 
• Strong desire to work in the winemaking field producing world class wines, particularly Pinot Noir. 
• Must be computer literate (Word, Excel) with excellent reasoning abilities, outstanding verbal communication skills and strong data management skills
• Must be able to speak, read, and write fluently English, and Spanish bilingual preferred but not required. 
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Ability to understand and comply with any and all safety requirements.
• Must be 21 years of age.
• Valid Oregon driver’s license with reliable transportation to/from the vineyard. 
• Positive attitude, eagerness to learn, and willingness to work long hours.
• Must be willing to work flexible hours including overtime and varying shifts and weekends, in various climate conditions. 
• Able to perform heavy physical work (lifting, bending, climbing, pulling, or squatting for long periods of time).
• Able to tolerate exposure to outside elements (heat, wet and/or damp conditions, cold)

How To Apply