TWO-YEAR APPRENTICESHIP

Opportunity: A two-year apprenticeship working with Sashi Moorman, a veteran winemaker and winery owner/founder; Rajat Parr, a James Beard award-winning writer, wine professional, and winery owner/founder; and their winemaking and vineyard teams in the Santa Rita Hills (CA) and Eola-Amity Hills (OR).

This opportunity is a fairly unique one providing an education in and exposure to wine and winemaking with two globally well-regarded wine professionals and the premium wines they make. Year 1 location for this position is their winery in Lompoc, California; Year 2 location is their winery in Salem, Oregon. 

The culture of our tightly knit team at Provignage, Sashi Moorman’s winemaking company, is collaborative and educational. Over the two years, you will get an overview of not only the nuts and bolts of high-quality winemaking production but also the development of several emerging premium winery brands in the context of a highly competitive global market. You will become familiar, through direct experience, with the differences between these two appellations, and through tasting, conversation, and reading, their comparison with other prominent appellations. 

This apprenticeship is a good launching pad for people who know they are interested in wine and have a capacity for deep study, but are not sure yet how that interest will drive their professional lives. Our contacts in the wine, restaurant, and hospitality industries can make it easier for the right person to understand the different ways wine knowledge can be implemented professionally, and to set off, after the two years of this position, on a clear and confident path.

A partial list of the wines we make and estates we manage:

Santa Rita Hills/Santa Barbara County (CA)
Domaine de la Cote
Piedrasassi
Sandhi Wines

Eola-Amity Hills (OR):
Seven Springs Vineyard (Evening Land Vineyards)

HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION:

2-Year Apprentice Job Responsibilities:

Supports winemaking production by preparing winery, laboratory, wines, grapes, equipment, and materials; moving wines, grapes, materials, and equipment; performing winemaking tasks involved in fermentation, elevage, and bottling.

2-Year Apprentice Job Qualifications:

There are no education or training requirements for this apprenticeship, but those who have performed best in this environment and position have some level of higher education, travel experience, good previous knowledge and appreciation of food and wine (either through personal or work experience) and other work history in a professional environment. The ideal candidate will arrive to the job physically fit to perform the manual labor lifting, cleaning, and general hustling that are elemental to winery production. He or she must be able to fit in with our very small team and both benefit from and contribute to our collaborative work culture.

Other qualifications include: attention to detail; ability to create/maintain a safe, effective environment; good listening skills; ability to take direction; good teamwork skills; ability to work independently and with others; love of food/wine; persistence and thoroughness; desire for self-development; professionalism in both manner and appearance; eagerness to learn both on the job and through independent reading/research; diligence and care in implementation of technique; diligence and care in execution of tasks; ability to accept and implement constructive criticism of performance. Must be able to lift 50 pounds. Must be able to stand for multiple hours at a time, learn how to drive a forklift, and perform the fairly heavy manual labor tasks of all winery production operations.

If you are interested in our program please contact us at:  provignage.harvest@gmail.com