Lead Wine Advisor (Wine Jobs: Wine Retail & Sommelier)

Full Time

  The Good Wine Shop

  Richmond area, England

Full-time | 45 hours per week (rota including evenings & weekends)

About Us

The Good Wine Shop is an award-winning independent wine merchant built on one simple belief: great wine is about people, stories, and moments of genuine pleasure.
We work with exceptional artisan and family producers and pride ourselves on warm, knowledgeable hospitality, infectious curiosity, and a collaborative team culture.

The Role

As Lead Wine Advisor, you are the lead presence on the shop floor and a key driver of both customer experience and commercial performance. You will lead by example—delivering outstanding service, developing long-term customer relationships, and ensuring smooth day-to-day store operations.

This role suits someone who combines strong wine knowledge with ownership, organisation, and a genuine love of independent retail.

Key Responsibilities

Store Leadership & Operations

  • Oversee the daily running of the store, maintaining exceptional standards of service, presentation, and efficiency
  • Complete daily handovers to ensure clarity, continuity, and accountability across the team
  • Execute Monthly Store Matrix tasks accurately and on time

Customer Experience & Private Clients

  • Deliver warm, knowledgeable, and personalised service to every customer
  • Build and maintain long-term customer relationships rooted in trust and storytelling
  • Maintain accurate Private Client Logs and proactively develop private client leads
  • Identify and refer qualified opportunities to the Private Client Manager

Tastings & Events

  • Lead the preparation, delivery, and follow-up of in-store tastings
  • Represent the business with confidence and professionalism during customer events

Administration & Communication

  • Manage the store email inbox, responding promptly and professionally to enquiries
  • Support clear, direct communication within the team and wider business

Stock, Cellar & Presentation

  • Maintain a well-organised, efficient cellar and back-of-house operation
  • Uphold store cleanliness and visual standards in line with company guidelines
  • Support quarterly stocktakes and stock control processes

What We’re Looking For

  • Strong wine knowledge (WSET Level 3 or equivalent) and a genuine passion for independent retail
  • Proven ability to deliver exceptional customer service and hospitality
  • Highly organised, detail-driven, and comfortable taking ownership
  • Confident written and verbal communicator
  • A team-first mindset with the humility to mentor others and collaborate openly

How We Work

Our values shape everything we do:

  • Genuine Hospitality – Warm, welcoming, and respectful to customers and colleagues
  • Infectious Curiosity – Always learning, always exploring
  • Working Together – Trust, honesty, and shared success
  • Taking Ownership – Proactive, accountable, and proud of our work
  • Cultivating Success – Open communication and commercial awareness that supports long-term careers

Package & Incentives

  • Competitive salary + service charge
  • Quarterly wine allocation
  • Performance-linked bonus structure based on key KPI’s

Why Join Us?

The Good Wine Shop is an award-winning independent merchant with a wine range that is genuinely distinctive in both breadth and depth. We work closely with some of the UK’s leading boutique and specialist importers, giving our team access to exceptional, small-production wines that are rarely found in mainstream retail.

This is an environment for people who care about provenance, producer relationships, and serious wine knowledge — not just volume selling. You’ll engage with an ambitious, knowledgeable customer base and develop real expertise across diverse regions and styles.

We actively support professional development, including WSET qualification support, and provide the platform for commercially minded wine professionals to build long-term careers within an independent business that values standards, accountability, and expertise.

To apply:

Please forward your CV and cover letter explaining your suitability for the position to [email protected]

All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

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