Viticulturist Tech/Harvest Intern (May-Oct)

Windsor Oaks Vineyards is seeking one hardworking and passionate individual to be an integral part of our viticulture and harvest team. We are located in Sonoma County, set back in the hills of the beautiful Russian River Valley wine region. Our estate is planted to 210 acres of ultra-premium wine grapes, with 18 different varietals. We grow wine for our estate winery, and also sell grapes to about 40 other wineries. We are dedicated to the enhancement and quality of fruit through ultra-premium viticultural practices and sustainable farming. We are a Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing vineyard.  The right candidate will be an energetic and highly motivated individual who shares our passion for growing wine. This is an incredibly well-rounded internship that allows interns to roll up their sleeves and gain valuable experience and knowledge through all aspects of vineyard management and harvest logistics/responsibilities.

 

Time period:

The internship will begin in May and continue through harvest.  All interns are required to commit to working full-time until harvest is complete. The completion of harvest can range from mid-October through November.

 

Pay:  Competitive.  A vineyard home on the property is also available for rent during the internship, $250/month per intern.  The home will be shared between a total of four interns.  Interns are not required to stay in the vineyard-intern house.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

This is a comprehensive internship with exposure to many aspects of vineyard management and viticulture duties, including: 

·         Vineyard scouting – monitoring & recording the phenological stages, health of the vines, and collecting samples for vine nutritional analysis (petiole samples in the spring, leaf blade samples in the summer)

·         Crop estimation – cluster counts, cluster weights

·         Disease and pest control – monitoring insect traps, insect damage/populations, powdery mildew, and botrytis

·         Grape maturity sampling – collecting, processing, and recording the brix of mature fruit

·         Irrigation and vine/water stress monitoring – perform pressure bombs and record data, assist with implementing the irrigation schedule, track water usage throughout the irrigation season

·         Vineyard maintenance

·         Hands-on harvest crew management – work side by side with the crews during harvest monitoring fruit quality, recording detailed notes on fruit tonnage and acres harvested, driving harvest trailers to and from the vineyard to the crush pad for weighing and loading

·         Assisting with weighmaster, scale operations, and loading fruit on the crush pad during harvest

·         Participating in daily harvest team and logistics meetings

·         Tractor and forklift training/driving for harvest

·         Winery client services – assisting our Grape Sales Rep before and during harvest with various client needs

·         A harvest team commitment from May through October, possibly November

Experience:

Basic knowledge of wine grape production, viticulture, integrated pest management, horticulture, and a healthy curiosity is preferred. Mechanical aptitude can be helpful. We provide thorough hands-on training for all vineyard and harvest related tasks.

 

Qualifications:

·         Self-Directed, efficient, highly motivated, and can follow directions

·         Works well within a team and is confident in working alone

·         Must be highly organized and maintain accurate attention to detail

·         Ability to multitask, work in a fast-paced environment, and can quickly change tasks

·         Ability to work flexible and extended hours on short notice

·         Must be punctual to all viticultural and harvest commitments

·         Proficient in MS Word, Excel, and Outlook

·         Ability to lift 50 lbs. and walk on uneven surfaces

·         Basic Spanish communication skills preferred

·         Must be able to communicate effectively in English, written and spoken

·         Pre-employment physical required

·         Valid driver’s license with good driving record – as determined by our insurance carrier.

·         Must have legal work status

·         The ability to have fun at 2:00am during harvest

 

Work Environment:

·         May sit, stand, and walk on uneven surfaces for an extended period of time

·         Working in a multi-lingual team environment

·         Will be working mostly outside and must be able to endure the highs and lows of temperature changes