Vineyard Manager
(Wine Jobs:
Vineyards & Cellars )
Full Time
Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard
Sedlescombe, Sussex, TN32 5SA,
England
Date: As soon as possible
CV to: [email protected]
Due to site expansion, Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard needs a new team member to plan and complete a range of vineyard management tasks. We seek an energetic, enthusiastic and committed person with the skills and experience to oversee the planting and care of our vines and soil.
England’s oldest biodynamic vineyard grows a wide range of cultivars including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Regent and Solaris, and we make sparkling whites, sparkling rosé, still white, still red and still rosé. Our vines are currently arranged in six blocks across two sites, with 33 acres planted.
We have acquired a further 75 acres of land and will plant a series of new blocks in 2019. The scale of this plan necessitates a new, full-time vineyard management position.
Context:
- 8 acres of biodynamic vines
- 100 acres of organic vines all working towards biodynamic certification
Responsibilities:
- Manage all blocks in all sites according to biodynamic principles
- Liaise with Directors to plan future planting and harvest schedules
- Planning and applying a spraying program decided by You (Vineyard Manager) based on data provided by the technical manager
- Vineyard tractor operations: mowing, soil management, ploughing, intercep work
- Pruning and canopy management
- Trellis maintenance and repair
- Managing a small team
Skills:
- Machinery maintenance and use: tractors, sprayer (PA1, PA3) cultivator
- Prior experience of viticulture or orchard farming an advantage
- Prior experience of organic or biodynamic methods an advantage
- Applicants with qualifications in lieu of experience also welcomed
Conditions:
- Full-time: 8 hours per day, 5 days per week
- Flexibility essential: longer days and weekend work anticipated according to the growth cycle and harvesting
- Salary to be negotiated based on candidate qualifications and experience
What matters most is that you are motivated, diligent and a good communicator who is ready to integrate with a great team committed to this exciting challenge and the future of biodynamics in the English wine industry. We look forward to hearing from you.
