About Us
ABOUT US
Ridgeview has been producing world-class sparkling wine for over 25 years. Considered pioneers of the English Wine Industry, our state-of-the-art winery and established vineyards (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) are based in the heart of the South Downs National Park, with breath-taking views of the surrounding area. We are proud to be certified by Wines GB as a sustainable vineyard and winery, and we invest in the latest, innovative equipment to minimise our impact on the natural world whilst crafting the highest quality sparkling wine around.
OUR CULTURE
Ridgeview is a family business built on a strong sense of teamwork. We believe in passion, a sense of purpose and a commitment to excellence. Ridgeview lives and breathes a family ethos, valuing all our staff as individuals, with a unique story and an important role to play. We are a vibrant, dynamic and diverse team who make great things happen, together.
We are certified a Great Place to Work, Best Workplaces 2025 and winners of Employer of the Year in the Gatwick Business Diamond Awards 2023
Job Description
Length of contract - estimated between 2 to 6 weeks
Looking for the perfect introduction to the wine industry?
Join us at Ridgeview this harvest season! We're offering an exciting opportunity for Winery Assistants to become part of our team. In this role, you'll play a vital part in helping us deliver this year’s harvest, gaining hands-on experience and valuable insight into the start of the vintage process. It’s the perfect first step into the world of wine.
In this physical and active role you will be part of a close-knit harvest team who will unload crates of grapes from lorries and load them into the grape presses. It is a great way to get a step in the door of the wine industry - several of our winery assistants from last harvest have had other roles with us since. Some have previously progressed onto cellar hands for the next harvest.
What does the job involve :
The crates of grapes weigh around 16kg. The press loading process can involve lifting from above head height and then leaning over the press to load them through the centre. A lorry unload will take about 20-30 minutes and in this time, each person could lift around 1 tonne. Once the lorry is empty and the grapes have been loaded into the presses, this role will be cleaning down the press, crates and the area until the next lorry arrives. The role will be working at heights.
The shifts can be 8-12 hours ( could be longer or shorter), up to 6 days a week during harvest. Each person will be allocated either day shift starting in the morning or late shift starting afternoon. Once they are allocated the shift, each person would stay on this shift for the whole harvest which could be up to 2-6 weeks.
Please note all of this information is just given as a guide. All shift timings, start and end dates are fully dependant on harvest so anyone applying needs to have full flexibility and commitment during the harvest.
What you will need to be a successful applicant:
•You should enjoy working in a close-knit team working towards a common goal and with the ability to use own initiative
•Be comfortable with physical lifting and climbing stairs to the grape press
•Able to work at heights and at nights ( a medical assessment will be required to ensure safety and reasonable adjustments )
•Be available for around two to five weeks from mid September to early October.( TBC actually dates to be confirmed nearer the time as will be dependent on grape yield and ripening)
•Flexibility with additional hours required depending on harvest
What we will give you:
•The opportunity to work within an award-winning wine business as part of a pioneering, proactive and friendly team.
•Your working hours will be spent next to a stunning vineyard with amazing views of the South Downs.
•Contract for the harvest period (actual date is grape ripening dependent)
•Staff discounts while on contract
•Real Living Wage + higher than statutory holiday entitlement