I’m Looking For a Winemaker- Plata Wine Partners is Hiring!

• April 26, 2021
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4/26/21

Title:  Winemaker

Roles/Responsibilities:  Execute and oversee all winemaking at our facilities from grape to bottle, optimizing wine quality every step of the way

Nature of Employment:  Full Time Position + Bonus Potential and Full Benefits

Location:  Napa, California

Please submit resumes (brief cover letter optional) to careers@platawinepartners.com

All applications will be kept confidential

About Plata Wine Partners: 

Plata Wine Partners is a dynamic, customer-responsive wine company which bottles and cans 350,000+ cases of wine annually across multiple AVA’s, varieties, and styles.  Plata sources almost all its grapes from the Certified Sustainable vineyards of its sister company, Silverado From Westchester, a 20,000+ acre premium and luxury grower in coastal California. Plata’s offices are in Napa, but winemaking and operations incorporate two wineries on the Central Coast, three wineries in Napa and Sonoma as well as wine storage facilities, bottling plants and warehouses.  www.platawinepartners.com

Roles/Functions:

Oversee and execute all winemaking at our wine facilities from grape to bottle. Under auspices of Director of Winemaking, responsible for guiding the grapes through picking decisions, fermentation, aging, blending and bottle-preparation processes. Ensure that all bottling dates are met with wine prepared to spec.   Work with the Director of Winemaking and with Sales on new product development and wine-related research projects.  This job is based mainly from Plata offices in the City of Napa with a moderate but regular amount of travel to Plata’s vineyards (Napa, Sonoma, and the Central Coast) and wineries, bottling facilities and warehouses (COVID restrictions compliant).

Responsibilities:

• Serves as key point person for and manages the winemaking process at custom crush and bottling facilities.
• Occasional (Harvest) travel to vineyard sites to assess quality and make harvest decisions.
• Manage oak and élevage programs across all facilities.
• Manage condition and quality of all wine lots across all facilities.
• Elevate wine quality by performing and implementing oak trials, fining trials, blending trials and other QC trials.
• Liaise with clients as necessary/required, i.e., initial tastings, taste trials with them, prep trials for their approval. 
• Maintain and track inventory and chemical analyses/status of all Plata lots at all custom facilities.
• Ensure Plata Wine Partners winemaking protocols are being followed at all custom crush facilities.
• Manage details of any bulk wine sales or purchases.

• Conducts tastings to screen and select wines and for developing, formulating, and testing new wine products.
• Create sample prototypes for evaluation by Dir. Of Winemaking, CEO and VP Sales & Marketing and/or potential clients and buyers.
• Ensures all bottling dates are met with correct wine blended to spec

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Enology, Winemaking, Viticulture, Fermentation Science, or related
• Over 6 years’ experience making wine with increasing responsibility.
• Experience crafting wines from multiple grape varietals and AVA’s to achieve a variety of styles over a range of price points.
• Custom crush experience
• Passionate about winemaking and developing new wine styles and products

• An understanding of viticulture/farming practices and their impact on wine quality
• Experience with the current marketplace of fining agents, oak products and other processing aids that impact wine quality
• Experience with quick turn-around bench trials across multiple wine types and styles  
• Positive, problem-solver attitude, high level of flexibility and interest in being part of a small, dynamic team.