Vineyard Worker

Job description

Ability to plant, prune, train vines, weed, harvest grapes, maintain fencing and trellis. Operate tractor, forklift, maintain netting, till, minor maintenance of tractor, forklift, tiller, and trailer, maintain drip system, take
soil samples, vineyard cleaning, make plantable stems, remove nonperforming plants. Willingness to learn, team oriented. Ability to work outside in high and/or freezing temperatures. Assist viticulturalist with pest and
disease management, and moisture status of vines. Major crop and only B: Minimum Job Qualifications/Requirements Basic Job Requirements (check all that apply): Lifting requirements Exposure to extreme temperatures Frequent stooping or bending over Repetitive movements

Vineyard Management:

Jan – Feb: Winter Pruning. The primary practice of vineyard management is to achieve a maximum yield at the desire quality. One of the greatest influences on both yield and quality is winter pruning. Winter pruning involves the selective removal of up to 90% of the previous season’s vine growth. The overall goal of winter pruning is to prepare the vines for the upcoming growing season. This pruning helps to construct the location and general development of the canopy. A properly constructed canopy has great influence on overall grape yield, health, and development.

Feb-April: Training and pruning vines; repairing water drip system, readying materials for additional trellis buildout, engaging in trellis buildout, grape planting; Cluster and shoot management

May-August: Weeding, mowing, watering, daily check of ground moisture, trellis maintenance trimming grapevines; Cluster management, shoot management and canopy management. As fruit ripens, efforts include maturity checks, testing fruit for ripeness. Spray management to help protect vines and provide nutrients.

Sept-Oct: Hand harvesting of vineyards. Assists in scheduling and coordination of harvest team.