POSITION TITLE: ENOLOGIST/LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
POSITION SUMMARY:
The person in this position will be an important member of the winemaking team in a fast-paced winery laboratory at Michigan’s largest winery. Job responsibilities include but are not limited to: equipment set-up and maintenance, performing routine analyses of juice, fermenting juice, and wine, sample preparation, sample analysis, workflow management, data analysis, and data entry. The enologist is responsible for operating the grape sampling station and scale house during crush, monitoring fermentors, juice tanks, daily bottling blends and bottling line QA/QC. This individual will also be involved in on-going, in-house projects, and outside laboratory verification analyses. The position requires a self-starting, highly motivated, organized individual with excellent laboratory, computer and interpersonal skills. The Enologist reports directly to the Assistant Winemaker and works with the cellar crew and bottling line to accomplish the daily tasks required to process fruit, ferment and stabilize wine, prepare and bottle juices and wines, and receive and ship bulk juices and wines.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES INCLUDE, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
•Daily set-up and calibration of laboratory equipment.
•Routine preventative maintenance on laboratory equipment.
•Contribute to and maintain a daily QA/QC program in the lab to ensure data accuracy.
•Perform juice and/or wine analysis in a timely fashion. This includes the measurement of sugar, specific gravity, density, free and total sulfur, alcohol, titratable acidity, pH, volatile acidity, turbidity, color, heat and cold stability, sorbic acid, yeast assimilable nitrogen, residual sugar, and L-malic acid using either automated or bench chemistry analytical methods.
•Set-up various wine and juice bench trials as requested by winemakers, including heat and cold stability studies.
•Monitor juice tanks bi-weekly for sugar, alcohol and monthly microbiological sampling and sample prep for off-site analyses.
•Prepare and standardize reagents, prepare samples for analysis, set sample priorities, and organize work flow.
•Maintain inventory on all equipment, glassware and chemicals.
•Tend to harvest grape receiving and sampling station. This includes weighing trucks,
•Perform pre-bottling analyses, bottling blend adjustments and perform bottling line QA/QC checks.
•Perform daily data entry and correction of entered data.
Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a BS degree in Enology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Science, or related field, and 2-3 years of laboratory experience. Good communication, time-management, and critical thinking skills are essential, and the ability to work comfortably in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment is a plus. Individual must be detail-orientated and computer literate. Must be flexible and able to work overtime up to 7 days per week during harvest. Must be able to lift 35 lbs. and be able to stand and sit for long periods of time.
Please send resume with cover letter to Ms. Nancie Corum, Assistant Winemaker.
Mailing address: PO Box 127, Paw Paw, MI 49079
Fax number: 269-657-5743
Email: wines@stjulian.com, subject: Lab Position
St. Julian Wine Company, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.