Vineyard Specialist

We are looking for an energetic individual to be full time Vineyard Specialist to work with our team in both the vineyard and the winery.  You should have a passion for producing high quality cool climate wines from the Niagara Escarpment, one of the best places to grow wine grapes in the Northeast USA.   Our farm has roughly 38 acres of grapes vines, including Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  To maintain our sustainable vineyard, our equipment includes vineyard tractors, vintage jeeps, fork trucks, a 2013 Gregoire G8.260 grape harvester/4 row sprayer and specialized vineyard implements such as leaf removal, hedging, mowing and tillage equipment.  Being able to operate farm machinery is a requirement, being able to maintain and repair equipment is desired.  Having a positive attitude with the ability to learn as the industry and our winery evolves is very important.  If you are well organized and have leadership potential, there is room to advance.

About our Winery

Arrowhead Spring Vineyards is a certified sustainable farm winery located on the Niagara Escarpment AVA between Niagara Falls and Lockport, NY. The climate is the second warmest in NY State, moderated by Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment with plenty of long sunny summer days to ripen fruit. Soils are limestone based and  ideal for vinifera grapes. Arrowhead Spring Vineyards is on the West Coast of NY State, 450 miles from NY City (essentially the opposite end of the state) and 45 miles southeast of Toronto, Canada. The City of Buffalo, NY is a 35-minute drive, we are 25 minutes east of Niagara Falls, which is a source of tourism visits (8 million people visit Niagara Falls each year).  We have been making and selling wine for 20 years and completed a new 14,000 sq-ft wine-making facility in 2019.   The facility dedicates 3,000 sq-ft to barrels with a 4,000 sq-ft processing and storage area.

We maintain the philosophy that great wine starts in the vineyards.  Mechanical under-vine tillage, leaf removal, shoot thinning and balanced pruning all lead to grapes that are flavorful, balanced and optimized for winemaking.  Traditional wine making methods and a 2-year barrel aging program are employed to create wine reflective of our cool terroir, with minimal intervention. We produce wines from our 38-acre estate vineyard Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, as well as grapes purchased from local growers.  Our wines reflect the terroir of the region with its limestone-based soils and long summer days.

Responsibilities:

Under the direction of senior staff, the Vineyard & Winery Specialist will be responsible for day-to-day operations on the farm, which will include vineyard work such as pruning, tying, cultivation, mowing, fertilization and application of spray material.  Other farm tasks will include land preparation for planting, trellis maintenance and routine maintenance of equipment.   Skills that would be helpful are operation of power tools, knowledge of farm machinery use, the ability to maintain and repair farm machinery.

In the winery you will assist the winemaking team with processing fruit (crushing and pressing), fermentation tasks including punch-downs, routine barrel maintenance, racking & bottling of wine.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Experience in farming, the wine or craft beverage industry.  An Associates degree in Chemistry, Viticulture and Enology, Grape and Wine Technology, or closely related discipline is nice to have. 
• Proven understanding of viticultural practices, experience with other fruit is helpful.
• Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and able to operate a vehicle with a manual transmission.
• Detail-oriented work habits and strong organization skills.
• Ability to keep and update records.
• Good communications skills
• Physical ability to move 75 lb. barrels as well as the typical physical demands of vineyard, cellar and winery production work (ability to lift 50 pounds, and 35 pounds repeatedly)
• Ability to use a PC with proficiency in Windows Outlook, Word, Excel, and web based research.
• Ability to troubleshoot

• Ability to operate Fork Lift and Tractors
• Ability to perform routine maintenance on equipment (lubrication, operational checks, cleaning, belt/filter changes)
• Mechanical maintenance and troubleshooting skills are desired