Alder Ridge Vineyard, Alderdale, WA
Phil Church Vineyard, Sunnyside, WA
Pay Scale: 17.00 per hour
Open until filled

Company Description
Winemakers LLC is seeking a motivated candidate with an interest in viticulture to work with us this summer. We own both vineyard and winemaking operations in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. This internship will be based at our two vineyards in Washington state in the Prosser area.
Our largest vineyard in Washington, Alder Ridge is located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA along the Columbia River with an impressive view towards the gorge and Mt Hood. Phil Church Vineyard is in the Yakima Valley AVA between the towns of Grandview and Sunnyside. We farm around 1500 acres and 24 cultivars of premium wine grapes between these two sites. We also grow cherries at our Sunnyside farm. We sell our grapes to both large and small producers throughout the Northwest that include well known and respected wineries in Walla Walla, Idaho, the Puget Sound, the Tri Cities area, and the Willamette Valley.

Job Description
As an intern, you’ll have the opportunity to work with and gain experience in both large and small production vineyard blocks and a wide variety of grape cultivars. Our duties will include the identification of insect pests, biotic and abiotic diseases, nutrient deficiencies, fungal infections, and whatever else nature throws at us that can affect plant health. We will also perform tasks related to yield estimation such as cluster counts and weights. This position is a normal 40-hour Monday-Friday work week.

Most of our time will be spent at Alder Ridge Vineyard with a day or two per week at Phil Church Vineyard. We require our interns to start in mid-May and work until Mid-August. We are flexible with class schedules and are willing to work around them. There is the potential to stay on through harvest if we need extra help and scheduling permits. This normally runs until the end of October. We intend this to be an opportunity for our interns to learn and gain experience in their field of study. Although prior experience is helpful, above all, we’re looking for someone who is enthusiastic and willing to learn.

Job Requirements and Goals

  •  Be enrolled in or be a recent graduate of a viticulture and/or enology program or a similar area of study (agriculture, plant science, etc.).
  • Possess an interest in the farming side of the wine industry.
  • Be able to or learn how to safely ride an ATV over rough terrain.
  • Learn how to and work safely with and around farm equipment, pesticides, and inclement weather.