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Dehlinger is a family owned and operated winery that has been in operation since 1975. Our wines have a reputation that outstrips our physical size. We focus on producing the highest quality Estate grown Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Syrah from Dehlinger's Estate Vineyards within the Laguna Ridge neighborhood of Sonoma County's Russian River Valley.

We are seeking a highly motivated Harvest Cellar Hand to join our staff for the 2025 harvest season. The harvest experience at Dehlinger is very rewarding and offers the opportunity to work closely with the winemaking team in a quality-focused, intellectual environment.

Our Harvest Cellar Hand can expect training and experience in the following (but are not limited to):
ALL Facility and equipment cleaning and set up
Confined space entry: oxygen monitoring, measurement recording; following confined space entry procedure
Electric forklift operation (Dehlinger Winery, LLC. certified): tipping grapes into the destemmer's hopper; tipping destemmed grapes into fermenters; moving barrels, bins, racks, tanks and pallets
Scissor lift operation: pneumatic punchdown device mounted to the scissor lift
Pump operation: pump overs, barrel filling, sanitizing pumps
Euromachines AS10 destemmer: set up; operation; breakdown and cleaning
Fermentation monitoring: sampling fermenters; analysis for Brix (utilizing Anton Paar DMA's) and temperature; recording analysis on paper records and in VinTrace winemaking software; delivering samples to the laboratory and centrifugation of samples
Transfer of grape stems to compost using all-terrain vehicles
Winemaking nutrient additions
Preparation of cooperage: placement; washing; soaking and emptying
Bottling: loading glass onto bottling line; unloading full cases off of bottling line and pallet stacking according to specifications

The preferred start date is August 4th 2025. The projected end date is sometime between the end of October and early November. The actual end date is dependent on the season.

During the peak harvest period which is usually the months of September and October, our Harvest Cellar Hand will be expected to work 6 days a week. During the non-peak periods our Harvest Cellar Hand will be expected to work 5 days per week. This is dependent on the season.

Compensation is $20 per hour with overtime based on California law.

Because we have a small staff, our Harvest Cellar Hand must be dependable, adaptable and be able to commit to the harvest period and not drop out prior to or during harvest.

Ideal qualifications:

Passion for wine and a desire to have a career in the wine industry
Coursework in Viticulture and/or Enology
Previous wine industry and forklift experience
Strong work ethic and a positive attitude
Ability to work long and variable hours on a flexible schedule. Reliable and punctual
Ability to perform strenuous physical tasks, such as lifting up to 50 pounds, repetitive movements, bending down, and ascend/descend ladders
Ability to lawfully work in the USA

In order to properly apply and receive a response please send BOTH of the following items:

1. Cover letter:
Tell us about yourself and your past and present work and wine experience
Let us know what you can contribute to our team and what you would hope to get out of a harvest experience with Dehlinger
Include the dates you are available to work

2. Resume

Please send BOTH items requested above to Associate Winemaker Matt Standing: with the email subject line 'Harvest Cellar Hand'.

Job category: Cellar/Lab/Bottling/Warehouse