Tasting Room and Retail Operations Manager at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard

Join us as our Tasting Room and Retail Operations Manager!

Are you ready to play a key role in creating exceptional guest experiences? As our Tasting Room and Retail Operations Manager, you will serve as a central leader in our continued growth, combining strong leadership, operational expertise, and a passion for hospitality to shape guest experiences that resonate with a range of wine enthusiasts.

In this role, you will oversee a dynamic set of responsibilities: leading and developing our team, optimizing daily operations, and delivering elevated guest experiences. From curating memorable tasting room interactions to driving behind-the-scenes strategy, you will set the standard for excellence across both the Hermann J. Wiemer and Standing Stone Tasting Rooms.

Who We Are

Founded in 1979, Hermann J. Wiemer is a pioneer of viticulture and winemaking in the Finger Lakes. We farm over 200 acres of estate vineyards to create some of the region’s most acclaimed wines including Riesling, Cabernet Franc, sparkling, and dessert wines. We believe great wine comes from working alongside nature to cultivate resilient vineyards and continue to push the limits of sustainable farming and winemaking as the only Biodynamically certified winery on the East Coast.

At the core of our guest experience is a commitment to education, expressed through long-format tastings, private library experiences, educational seminars, and immersive vineyard tours designed to connect visitors to the how and why behind our work.

Vision Statement - We envision a future where quality drives innovation, sustainability shapes progress, and collaboration fuels success, while fostering a culture of respect that values diversity, integrity, and shared growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Development – Inspire and manage a passionate team, ensuring top-tier service and a positive workplace.
• Retail & Hospitality Oversight – Elevate guest experiences for everything from casual visits to educational events.
• Sales & Marketing Collaboration – Work closely with our creative team to drive guest attendance, retail sales and engagement.
• Financial & Inventory Management – Monitors sales, labor and inventory to keep operations efficient and profitable while holding to a high standard of quality.

Job Description/Scope of Work

The Tasting Room and Retail Operations Manager is responsible for the day to day operations of both the Hermann J. Wiemer and Standing Stone Tasting Rooms including but not limited to: operational logistics, retail staff management, hospitality and guest experience, and the promotion of sales and activity at both locations in collaboration with the Marketing and Leadership team.

Responsibilities:

Operations and Logistics

The Tasting Room and Retail Operations Manager coordinates daily retail operations at both the Hermann J. Wiemer and Standing Stone Tasting Rooms. They are responsible for organizing daily service at each space and ensuring their success each day.

• Ensures all retail spaces are ready for each business day and supplied with the people and items needed for success.
• Oversees operational aspects and ensures proper procedure is maintained with reservation and point of sale systems including end of day reports and cash procedures.
• Manages inventory and ordering for retail and tasting room supplies. Coordinates with the Winery Team on maintaining retail wine inventory and with the Food Program Lead on maintaining proper perishable inventories.
• Engages with the whole Hermann J. Wiemer and Standing Stone team in all aspects of the retail and Tasting Room workload including events, tours, direct to consumer shipping and industry experiences.
• As the winery’s in person experiences are centered around weekend visits, the position works most weekends and is not a Monday through Friday role.
• Works with the leadership team to forecast sales and visitation in order to use that data to ensure efficient use of labor

Staff Supervision and Training

This position oversees all retail employees and is responsible for managing their training, scheduling and performance.

• Acts as a leader for the team and models good team behavior.
• Trains all staff on the key components of our retail space, from great hospitality, wine service, food preparation, point of sale and reservation systems training.
• Prepares the weekly staffing schedule and coordinates with retail staff on their availability and time off requests.
• Encourages growth and development of our team through direct engagement, problem solving and regular check-ins.
• Ensures responsible beverage service is being provided. All staff are expected to follow recommended best practices for responsible sales and consumption.

Guest Relations and Experience

The Tasting Room and Retail Operations Manager is the lead in creating memorable guest experiences for our visitors from start to finish and has a keen awareness for great hospitality and small details. They ensure guests are well informed ahead of their visit, attended to during their stay and followed up with as needed after their departure.

• Ensures guests experience superior customer service that is genuine, warm, friendly, courteous and professional.
• Handles general guest inquiries and any pre-visit communication and helps resolve any follow up concerns.
• Maintains an awareness for repeat guests, wine club members, industry members, and VIPs and ensures proper tailored experiences and hospitality are provided.
• Maintains working knowledge of Hermann J. Wiemer and Standing Stone wines, viticultural practices and winemaking processes.
• Takes part in the creative and iterative process of developing new ideas and experiences for our guests.

Please send your resume and cover letter to alex@wiemer.com

Cheers!