Assistant Winemaker

GALLO; Modesto (CA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Gallo is seeking a Winemaker Assistant to support Champagne and sparkling wine production from grape to bottling. You will work with winemaking, production, laboratory, and vineyard teams to ensure precise execution of workflows and high-quality outcomes.

The role involves reviewing data, participating in wine tasting, and assisting in trials while contributing to ongoing process improvements and negotiations with internal teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in science and 1 year winemaking or related experience OR a Bachelor’s degree with 3 years of related experience.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and safe driving record.

Responsibilities

• Support winemaking from harvest through production and packaging.
• Review analytical data and assist in sensory evaluation of wines.
• Collaborate with winemaking, production, laboratory, and vineyard teams to ensure quality and timely workflows.

Skills

Driver's license

Wine tasting

Analytical mindset

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in science

Tools

SQL

Viz basic

MS Excel

Job description

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We’re a family-owned company with a 90+ year legacy, that’s consistently recognized as a Glassdoor “Best Places to Work.” We have 130+ brands in our total alcohol beverage portfolio including wine, malt, spirits, and ready-to-drink beverages. We’re home to the #1 wine and spirits brands in the U.S. - Barefoot Wine & High Noon and are the official sponsors of the NFL, NHL, UFC, and PGA of America.

View our Corporate Values and Mission Statement here.

A Taste of What You'll Do

Bring your winemaking expertise to a role focused on the craft and precision of Champagne and sparkling wine production. As a Winemaker Assistant, you’ll support the winemaking process from grape growing and harvest through production, quality evaluation, and preparation of finished wines, helping deliver exceptional quality to the consumer.

You’ll work closely with winemaking, production, laboratory, vineyard, and operations teams to coordinate winery workflows and support the careful execution required throughout sparkling wine production. You’ll review analytical data, participate in wine tasting and sensory evaluation, conduct bench and operational trials, manage samples and work orders, and help ensure wines consistently meet established quality specifications.

During harvest, you may participate in grape receiving, fermentation monitoring, berry sensory analysis, and vineyard assessments while gaining broader exposure to the decisions that shape wine style and quality. Throughout the year, you’ll contribute to continuous improvement, troubleshoot quality and operational challenges, and help prepare wines for shipping and/or bottling.

This role offers an opportunity to combine technical winemaking knowledge with hands‑on collaboration while developing deeper experience in Champagne and sparkling wine production!

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s Degree in science (STEM) plus 1 year of winemaking, viticulture, winery engineering, chemistry, distillation, beverage production, brewing, or product development experience reflecting increasing levels of responsibility OR a Bachelor’s degree plus 3 years of winemaking, viticulture, winery engineering, chemistry, distillation, beverage production, brewing, or product development experience reflecting increasing levels of responsibility.
• Candidate is required to have a valid driver’s license, a safe driving record and reliable vehicle (if applicable) at the time of hire. This position will undergo a motor vehicle check (MVR) to confirm a history of safe and responsible driving. If needed, candidate must obtain the appropriate state driver’s license based on the position’s location within 30 days of hire.
• Required to lift and move up to 50 lbs. occasionally.
• Required to possess the color vision necessary to judge and evaluate wine color.
• Required to taste and evaluate wines.
• Required to be 21 years of age or older due to wine tasting.
• Required to travel to company offices, sites, and/or meeting locations for onboarding, training, meetings, and events for development, department needs, and business delivery up to 5% of the time, with or without reasonable accommodation. This may be in addition to travel requirements, if applicable, as listed in this job description.
• Required to be 18 years or older. This may be in addition to other age requirements, if applicable, as listed in this job description.

How You’ll Stand Out

• Bachelor’s in Viticulture or Enology plus 2 years of enology, winemaking, viticulture, or chemistry distillation, beverage production, brewing, or product development experience reflecting increasing levels of responsibility.
• Required to have at least 1 harvest or Winery internship experience
• Basic sensory exposure to the world of wine
• Data base knowledge and strong excel skills: such as SQL, Viz basic,
• Basic wine chemistry analysis execution
• Hands on cellar work
• Experience reading, analyzing and interpreting general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or governmental regulations.
• Experience writing reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals.
• Experience presenting information and responding to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Skilled in the use of MS Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint at an intermediate level.
• Skilled in working with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, fundamentals of plane and solid geometry, trigonometry and algebra.
• Skilled in applying concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations.
• Experience solving practical problems and dealing with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Experience interpreting a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.
• Work under different climatic conditions.
• Experience following established procedures to performing tasks that are routine in nature, requiring some evaluation, originality or ingenuity.
• Understanding in the fundamentals of wine chemistry, wine microbiology and viticulture practices.

We are committed to providing competitive compensation, perks, and a culture that supports your well‑being. Benefits depend on your work category and may include medical and dental coverage, 401k plans, profit sharing, pet insurance, company holidays, access to an employee wine shop, and more! Additional information will be provided before your first interview.

The Fine Print

• The Company does not sponsor for employment‑based visas for this position now or in the future.
• Actual compensation paid within the range will be determined by factors such as the education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data. In addition to the salary, this position may be eligible for bonuses, incentive plans, or participate in tasting room tip pools, as applicable.
• This position will be based in the location(s) specified in the job posting and requires working on‑site with no telecommuting option. You will be expected to live within a commutable distance.
• It is the Company’s policy for job postings to be open to internal candidates for a minimum of 5 days and to external candidates, if applicable, for a minimum of 3 days.

Gallo’s policy is to afford equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and not to discriminate on the basis of race, traits associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles (such as braids, locks, and twists), color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition as defined by applicable state law (including cancer and predisposing genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation (actual or perceived), transgender status, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, reproductive health decision making, age, military or veteran status, domestic violence or sexual assault victim status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. Nor will Gallo discriminate based on a perception that an individual has any of the foregoing characteristics or is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics.

Gallo will comply with state and local laws prohibiting discrimination for lawful out‑of‑work behavior, such as off‑duty use of cannabis away from the workplace (subject to federal and state law exceptions), the existence of non‑psychoactive cannabis metabolites in hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids as determined by a drug screening test (subject to federal and state law exceptions).

We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Gallo is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at 209.341.7000.

Gallo is enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security's E‑Verify program and will use the program to verify the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees as required.