Hospitality - Help us create Bon Vivants (Wine Jobs: Wine Retail & Sommelier)

Are you ready to help people lead the good life, by leading them to a Bon Vivant lifestyle? We're Expanding our team.

We’re looking for new team members to join us in providing our guests with one-of-a-kind experiences here at La Rochelle Winery.

If we are known for anything, it’s for being different. Our wines, our winery experiences, our Memberships are completely unique.

Let’s start with our Memberships:

La Rochelle Winery specializes in crafting small-lot Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 10 of California’s finest growing regions. Our wine portfolio includes over 15 single vineyard Pinot Noirs and 5 Chardonnays from these appellations: Arroyo Secco, Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Cruz Mountains, Carneros, Petaluma Gap, Freestone-Occidental, Russian River Valley, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Valley, Anderson Valley, Mendocino Ridge, and Sonoma Mountain. This diversity of locations provides our Members and guests the unique opportunity to experience the expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from California’s most prestigious vineyards.

We are also very proud to be the stewards of California’s first winery wine club, founded in 1967. Our Members have an incredible passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. La Rochelle’s efforts are focused on creating amazing and memorable experiences for our Members and guests. Every guest’s experience is customized to not only meet but exceed expectations.

Our Experiences:

We ask all visiting parties to fill out a questionnaire prior to booking their visit. Their choices help us create a unique experience for every group. No two tasting experiences are the same. This is both challenging and exciting for our team members. You will need both broad and deep knowledge to cover topics like:

•  Discovering our Membership Options.
•  Age-ability - Discover the key components that contribute to aging potential.
•  Complexity - Where do all the diverse flavors and textures come from?
•  Appellations & Terroir - Learn about the flavors of a place.
•  Learn the fundamentals of Food & Wine Pairing.
•  Barrel Aging – How barrel aging influences, taste, texture, and age-ability.
•  Fermentation Strategies and how they are expressed in wines.
•  Starting a Cellar - Building a collection for every possible experience.
•  Yeast – How yeast selection creates complexity.
•  Clones - Combining complementary flavors and textures.
•  Discover Po•  lyph•  o•  ny - Our ultimate expression of California Pinot Noir.

Below is a list of what we are looking for (Who we are), and a shorter list of what we avoid at all costs at our winery (What we are not):

Who we are:

•  Extremely hardworking - It takes a lot of effort to create a relaxed atmosphere.
•  Inviting - We want everyone to feel welcome. Wine is very complicated. We strive to make everyone feel comfortable, regardless of their wine knowledge or experience.
•  Fun - Laughter makes every wine experience better.
•  Entertaining - We want guests to be enthralled with our stories and our wines.
•  Successful - Winning to us means creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences. When we can enhance the quality of life for our guests and Members, good things happen.
•  Respectful - We understand that every wine experience is personal and subjective. We respect and rejoice in everyone’s individuality.

What we are not:

•  Followers - We do everything possible to create a unique winery experience.
•  Boring or intimidating - We do not spew facts and figures or information that can intimidate people and make them feel wrong. Wine is fun and exciting!
•  Disrespectful - We never criticize other wineries’ wines or people’s choices in wines. All wines have a place. All wine drinkers have a right to their own experience.

Yes, we pride ourselves in being named the Best Winery Experience in Sonoma Valley. Yes. Our guest experiences are our top priority. They, however, are not our only priority. To create a relaxed and fun learning environment, much of our work needs to be done behind the scenes.

Here are some of the things you will be doing:

•  Execute opening and closing procedures.
•  Host tastings for guests who have scheduled appointments - this includes the setup and cleanup.
•  Tell great stories about our history, our team and our wines.
•  Process shipping orders and answer inquiries.
•  Create excitement about our Memberships!
•  Assist customers, in any way possible, to provide an experience that meets our high La Rochelle standards.
•  Refer guests to other wineries and help them create itineraries for their visit to wine country.
•  Answer phones & e-mails – customer inquiries and correspondence to schedule appointments.
•  Use your education, food and wine knowledge, and any previous winery or hospitality experience to enhance each guest’s experience.
•  Communicate with all customers via phone, email, and handwritten thank you notes.
•  Become fluent in Wine-Direct – our POS system.
•  Call Members to update their profile information.
•  Restock inventory
•  Always maintain a safe, clean and organized work environment. The hospitality team is responsible for maintain the look, feel and image of our facilities.
•  Stand for eight hours or more, and be able to lift 50 lbs.
•  Tackle daily miscellaneous tasks as needed.
•  Take our show on the road to offsite events.
•  Have a flexible work schedule and be available on most weekends, as well as evenings for private events, as needed.

New team members will need:
•  Winery hospitality, customer service, and/or food service experience.
•  Prior experience with winery POS systems [WineDirect] a plus-plus.
•  Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, holidays, and some evenings.
•  A positive and cheerful attitude.

Due to the large number of applications, we will only be contacting the candidates selected for an interview.