Cellar Hand (Wine Jobs: Wine Retail & Sommelier)

Full Time

  Donkey and Goat Winery

  Berkeley, California

Job Description:
Donkey & Goat is seeking a part-time (24-32 hours per week) cellar hand who is hardworking, reliable and pays close attention to details. Successful candidates will also have a passion for wine, a curiosity and interest in learning and is fun to be around. We need someone with at least 1-2 years’ experience working in a wine cellar. Responsibilities will include regular topping, racking for blending, organizing tasting trials, cellar maintenance and organization, wood maintenance, bottling support and during the harvest period the position would expand to 40+ hours for 4-6 weeks. 

REQUIRED:
•  An intellectual curiosity of the winemaking process and the desire to continue learning
•  A keen sense of humor and a generous heaping of humility
•  A strong back and a willingness to clean, clean, clean
•  During harvest, the ability to work as long as it takes to get the job done
•  The ability to multi-task (or triage multiple tasks) and still be able to wrap up all tasks with a sense of pride
•  The ability to adapt gracefully to a constantly evolving to-do list (and we mean it when we say “gracefully”)
•  Mathematical and computer competency
•  Team drive and spirit
•  Effective communication skills
•  An attention to detail
•  Willing to follow direction explicitly, even if you question or disagree with our method

(The last four may sound clichéd, but they are the attributes we require above all else.)

THE DESIRED:
•  Year-round cellar experience (but we’d rather work with rising talent than calcified mediocrity and above all else either previous experience in a natural winemaking cellar or the absolute commitment to re-thinking and re-learning protocols)
•  Lab experience
•  A working knowledge of the chemistry, biology and physics of winemaking
•  A basic understanding of computers
•  Legible handwriting (your second grade teacher was right when she said that good penmanship would come in handy one day)
•  An appreciation for wine that drives you to do what it takes to make exceptional wine, no matter how wet, cold or late it is
•  A good balance of logic and intuition

In your cover letter, please comment on each of the bullet points above under the REQUIRED and DESIRED headings. This is your first test to see if you are, indeed, detail oriented. 

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