Full-Time Tasting Room Sales Associate

Tasting & Tap Room Expo; Sherwood (OR); On-site; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hourly base pay

Commissions

Bonuses

Tips

Employee wine discount

Job summary

Blakeslee Vineyard Estate in the Chehalem Mountains of Oregon is hiring a full-time Wine Sales Associate to guide guests through tastings, promote the wine club, and close orders in a direct-to-consumer setting.

You will work in a small, family-owned winery, uphold OLCC rules, manage the POS, and contribute to revenue through thoughtful, low-pressure conversations with guests at all levels of wine knowledge.

Qualifications

• Prior wine sales experience in a tasting room, wine club, or winery hospitality setting.
• Ability to hold real conversations with wine-savvy guests and welcome novices.
• Willingness to learn about Willamette Valley AVAs, soils, and wine production.

Responsibilities

• Guide guests through seated tastings and present the wine club.
• Serve wine and light food while following OLCC rules and manage the POS.
• Handle phone and shipping orders, restock, and support private tastings and events.
• Open and close the tasting room; maintain room and glassware in good order.

Skills

Wine sales experience

Guest conversation

Willingness to learn

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

Blakeslee Vineyard Estate is a boutique, family-owned and operated winery in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, off Hwy 99W in Sherwood, Oregon. We farm fifteen planted acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, first planted in 1996, at 550 feet. Our farming is 100% sustainable and LIVE Certified.

Everything we make is sold direct to consumer. There is no distribution, no wholesale, and no separate sales team. The tasting room is the business. That means the person in this role has a direct hand in revenue, and the compensation is structured to reflect it.

We are hiring one full-time Wine Sales Associate.

WHAT THE WORK LOOKS LIKE

You are guiding guests through seated tastings, most of whom found us on their own. You are talking about thirty-year-old vines, this hillside, and the wines that come off it. You are selling wine, presenting the wine club, and asking for the order with the judgment to read the person in front of you. We are not looking for a hard sell.

The rest is what small winery work always is: serving wine and light food to standard, watching consumption and staying inside OLCC rules, running the POS accurately, handling phone and shipping orders, keeping the room and glassware in good order, restocking, supporting private tastings and club events, and opening and closing.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Prior wine sales experience in a tasting room, wine club, or winery hospitality setting. This is not an entry-level role.

We want someone who can hold a real conversation with a guest who knows wine, and make it just as welcoming for a guest who doesn't. In practice that means being comfortable talking about the Willamette Valley and its nested AVAs, what sets the Chehalem Mountains apart, the soils across this AVA and how they show in the glass, varieties beyond the two we grow, and how wine is made. No formal credential required. Curiosity and a habit of continuing to learn count for more than a certificate.

Also:

• Motivated to sell, with strong accountability
• Able to work independently and take direction
• At least 21 years of age
• Current OLCC alcohol server permit and Oregon Food Handlers card, or willing to obtain both before start date
• Able to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds
• Reliable, punctual, and available weekends, holidays, and some evenings
• Reliable transportation to Sherwood

Preferred: WSET Level 2 or above, or Court of Master Sommeliers certification. Familiarity with DTC ecommerce or wine club platforms.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Hourly base, depending on experience
• Commissions and Bonuses
• Tips
• Employee wine discount

Blakeslee Vineyard Estate is an equal opportunity employer.