Tasting Room Lead

Tasting Room Expo; California; On-site; USD 32,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Robert Young Estate Winery in Alexander Valley, CA, is seeking a full-time Tasting Room Lead to oversee the guest experience, host engaging wine tastings, and educate visitors on our wines and family history, delivering a standard of luxury hospitality.

This hourly role offers benefits, a Wednesday–Sunday schedule from 9:30am to 5:30pm, and the chance to lead the hospitality team, manage reservations, sales, events, and inventory while upholding elevated service and wine knowledge.

Qualifications

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Hospitality experience in wine, restaurant, or hotel environments.
• Tasting room experience with proven wine sales and membership acquisition.
• Exceptional customer service and strong communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and accurate record-keeping.

Responsibilities

• Provide a luxury, personalized guest experience aligning with the winery's standards.
• Lead hospitality team during tours and tastings and conduct daily staff meetings.
• Train, motivate, and develop tasting room staff; establish policies and training materials.
• Coordinate ongoing operational training and wine education with managers.
• Oversee daily tasting room operations, reservations, and guest requests; manage inventory and merchandising.
• Support events, winery activities, and cross-department duties as needed.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Team leadership

Training

Organization

Physical stamina

Tools

Excel

Word

Commerce7

ShipCompliant

RedChirp

Tock

Job description

Robert Young Estate Winery is a luxury, family-owned estate in Alexander Valley, located just 10 minutes from Healdsburg, California (www.RYEW.com). We are seeking a full-time Tasting Room Lead to oversee the guest experience, host engaging wine tastings, and educate visitors on our wines and deeply rooted family history, all while delivering a standard of unreasonable hospitality.

This is a full-time, hourly position with benefits, working Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm, reporting to the Hospitality Tasting Room Manager and the Sales & Marketing Manager.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication and people skills, take great pride in customer service, possess a solid foundation in wine knowledge and luxury hospitality, and demonstrate strong operational and staff management abilities.

Guest Experience & Service Leadership

• Provide a luxury, personalized, and approachable guest experience while upholding the highest standards of hospitality and service.
• Deliver memorable experiences through engaging wine education, vineyard and family history, and thoughtful hospitality.
• Oversee/lead hospitality team and guest experiences.
• Confidently sell and close wine and club sales.
• Understanding of what is needed to provide exceptional, luxury customer service.
• Promote teamwork and foster a positive, professional work environment.

Team Leadership & Training

• Lead, host, and supervise the hospitality team during tours and tastings.
• Conduct daily staff meetings to review appointments, workflow, and service priorities.
• Assist in training, motivating, and developing tasting room staff including assisting in establishing policies and training manual.
• Partner with managers to coordinate ongoing operational training and wine education.
• Ensure consistent execution of hospitality standards and protocols.

Tasting Room Operations

• Oversee daily tasting room operations, including all opening and closing procedures.
• Manage guest inquiries and reservations by phone and email; book and manage appointments in timely matter.
• Review reservation notes and ensure all guest requests are fulfilled.
• Distribute daily appointment schedules to on-duty staff.
• Oversee tasting room flow, ambiance, and overall guest satisfaction.

Sales, Administration & Inventory

• Process tasting room, outreach, and phone sales in WineDirect POS.
• Maintain accurate records and timely communication with guests and members.
• Ensure the tasting room is fully stocked and properly merchandised.
• Monitor inventory levels and request supplies as needed.
• Coordinate wine and product transfers to shipping as required.

Events & Winery Support

• Assist with preparation and execution of tasting room and membership events.
• Represent the winery at off-site events as needed.
• Perform support functions when required (glassware, restocking, setup).
• Assist with other departments and managers with duties as assigned.

Preferred Experience & Qualifications

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Previous hospitality experience in wine, restaurant, or hotel environments.
• Tasting room experience with a proven record in wine sales and membership acquisition.
• Exceptional customer service and strong verbal, written, email, and phone communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and accurate record-keeping abilities.
• Comfortable with standard computer applications, including Excel, Word, Commerce7, ShipCompliant, RedChirp, and Tock (training provided).
• Available to work weekends and holidays with schedule flexibility.
• Professional appearance and demeanor with a commitment to high standards.
• Able to stand and/or walk for extended periods.
• Able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.

Compensation

• Base pay: $23-25/hr, doesn't include tips, sales commission, and wine club signup bonuses.
• Expected average annually hourly: $30-40/hr, depending on sales experience.