State Viticulturist

State Viticulturist

Requirements

• B.S. degree in Agriculture, Viticulture, or another related field or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of industry experience
• Extensive technical viticulture knowledge
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products and the ability to learn to use specific software as needed
• Must have valid driver’s license with clean driving record
• Travel up to 15%

Responsibilities

• Responsible for training and supervision of Viticulturist(s) within the region
• Support the development and continuing education of Grape Management within the region on important viticulture topics and/or tasks
• Provide viticultural learning opportunities for members of Winemaking and other Constellation departments
• Demonstrate exceptional leadership by modeling company values and behaviors and expecting others to do the same and aligning own and other’s effort to the company’s strategic imperatives
• Develop a positive presence within the region representing Constellation Brands in the technical and academic communities
• Perform any other duties as reasonably required, leveraging experience and expertise to support the overall success of the department
• Responsible for the creation of farm plans for internal farming operations and monitoring of farm plan progress and individual block performance and highlighting issues
• Oversee scouting program and work with managers within the region to evaluate scouting reports, including the monitoring of crop load and canopy management, phenology tracking, pest and disease management, fertilization, and irrigation
• Act as a subject matter expert for Viticulture to support regional Winegrowing team and other departments
• Provide structure and process to viticulture record keeping and aligning on viticulture data collection for internal vineyards
• Manage sampling including tissue sampling, soil testing, yield estimates, long term block history, etc., across internal vineyards
• Assist in maintaining vineyard experiments, gathering data, and designing new ones
• Support Grower Relations with technical viticulture expertise
• Build strong relationships with reginal Internal Vineyards, Grower Relations, and Winemaking teams to ensure high-quality internal regional fruit supply and ongoing evaluation of fruit sourcing meeting company needs
• Plan and direct regional vineyard trials and research to better improve the wine quality, sustainability, and/or economics of the grape supply, coordinating with Group Winemaking
• In conjunction with the Vineyard Ops leadership across the region, formulate and implement technical viticulture programs as required to meet the grape quality parameters for the company
• Oversee the refinement of a world class viticulture program within the region, improving policies and standard operating procedures and existing processes
• Investigate new technologies and work with team to trial and implement new practices, tools, and knowledge at the vineyard level
• Participate in continuing education programs, meetings, and research within the wine industry and agricultural industry to enhance expertise
• Attend wine industry and other ag events within the region and statewide to have better understanding of issues facing the industry and Constellation Brands
• Champion sustainable winegrowing practices and facilitate certification and compliance practices are applied in accordance with Constellation’s sustainable grape sourcing policies
• Set an example of safety and ensure that the Technical Viticulture team operates safely and meets all safety training requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive wine knowledge and evaluation skills
• M.S. in Viticulture or other relevant graduate school experience
• 10+ years of industry experience
• 2+ years demonstrated management and leadership skills
• Experience with GIS systems
• PCA and/or QAL license holder
• CCA license holder
• Demonstrated leadership and team-building experience
• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work with people at all levels within an organization
• Time management and planning ability
• Must be very organized, accurate, and have good presentation skills
• Highly self-motivated with a strong drive for results
• Proven ability to cultivate and maintain strong internal and external relationships, fostering collaboration and communication across departments, stakeholders, and industry partners