Home of our favourite brands The Ned, Leefield Station, The Kings Series and Craft Series, Marisco Vineyards is located in the Waihopai Valley on the banks of the Waihopai River, Marlborough.

We are a progressive wine company committed to building brands and taking the unique Marlborough, New Zealand story of wine to the world.

Marisco Vineyard’s Waihopai River Winery is an 8500-tonne modern facility with all the latest technology for producing premium wine.

Vintage Assistant Winemaker

We are recruiting a Vintage Assistant Winemaker to join our winemaking and cellar team for Harvest 2026, at our Waihopai River Winery on a fixed-term contract for 6-8 weeks, vintage dependent.

This will be offered to the right candidate as a hybrid role between cellar and winemaking activities.

The key responsibilities for this role will be:

• Assist the winemakers in the implementation and supervision of the intake and winemaking plan.
• Assist the winemakers in the planning and the execution of cellar operations.
• Write and update work orders as required.
• Complete cellar operations as required by the winemakers
• Assist the winemakers with fermentation monitoring.
• Running basic laboratory analysis.
• Ensuring a smooth transition between shifts.
• Assist with the preparation and dispatch of finished wines
• To be able to work within the company’s Health & Safety environment

What we expect of you:

• Hold a current New Zealand work visa, or New Zealand residency and able to start work beginning to mid-February 2026
• 3 + vintages as an Assistant Winemaker or Supervisor experience in a medium-large sized winery
• The ability to work night shift during harvest
• Be able to work 12-hour shifts, 6 days per week
• Experience with Vintrace winery software or other winemaking software systems
• Previous experience supervising fruit receival and press operation
• Intricate knowledge of all cellar operations, with batch flotation experience being a bonus
• Proven people and time management skills with a strong focus on communication and organisation
• Passion for producing high-quality wines

What you will receive from us:

Wage range of $33 - $36 per hour, depending on experience

Daily shift meals (when working 12-hour shifts).

Marisco Vineyards welcome gift pack

Full in-house training on all systems and vintage SOPs.

Skill-building opportunities.

A supportive work environment and opportunities to upskill yourself