Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cellar Hand

🎯 Role Definition

A Cellar Hand (also called Cellar Worker or Cellar Assistant) is an essential member of a winery, brewery or beverage production team responsible for hands-on cellar operations, equipment maintenance, sanitation and quality control throughout winemaking and packaging. The role focuses on safe operation of pumps and tanks, monitoring fermentations, performing racking and filtration, supporting bottling lines, maintaining barrels and tanks, and ensuring compliance with food safety (HACCP), WHS and site procedures. The ideal candidate demonstrates practical winemaking skills, mechanical aptitude, attention to detail, and a commitment to a clean, safe production environment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Seasonal harvester / vintage worker
Packaging or bottling operator in beverage production
Brewery cellar assistant or production support

Advancement To:

Senior Cellar Hand / Cellar Supervisor
Assistant Winemaker / Winemaking Technician
Production Manager or Cellar Master

Lateral Moves:

Lab Technician (enology/lab analysis)
Packaging Line Lead / Warehouse Supervisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Receive, inspect and account for incoming grapes, juice, must or raw materials; drive intake documentation, judge fruit quality and support harvest logistics to ensure timely processing during vintage periods.
Set up, operate and monitor pumps, hoses, filters, plate-and-frame and membrane filtration equipment during racking, transfer and clarification processes while following SOPs and ensuring no cross-contamination.
Carry out racking and transfers between vats, tanks and barrels, including topping barrels, rotating, rolling and reassembling staves, while maintaining accurate volume and loss records.
Monitor fermentation tanks daily: measure temperature, Brix, specific gravity, pH, and other key parameters; escalate deviations to the winemaking team and adjust aeration or temperature controls as instructed.
Operate and maintain bottling and canning lines: changeover, CIP (clean-in-place) cycles, line sanitation, troubleshooting minor mechanical issues, and performing visual quality checks on bottles, seals and labels.
Perform routine laboratory sampling and basic analyses (Brix, pH, TA, Free SO2) and accurately log results to support quality control and assist enologists with decisions on sulphur additions and stabilisation.
Carry out cleaning and sanitation schedules for tanks, fermentation vessels, hoses and general cellar areas using appropriate chemicals, concentrations and PPE in compliance with HACCP and site safety plans.
Conduct cold stabilisation, fining and filtration tasks under supervision, prepare fining agents and monitor clarity and stability parameters to ensure final product quality.
Load and unload drums, pallets and barrels using pallet jacks, forklifts or manual handling techniques safely; maintain accurate inventory counts of packaging materials, additives and cleaning chemicals.
Assist with barrel maintenance and cooperage tasks including chinking, bunging, sampling, gravity filling, and monitoring wood-derived character during barrel ageing programs.
Implement waste management procedures: manage grape marc, lees, wastewater and cleaning effluents per site environmental controls and regulatory requirements.
Maintain and service cellar equipment such as pumps, valves, centrifuges and compressors by performing basic preventative maintenance, minor repairs, lubrication and parts replacement or coordinating vendor service calls.
Support blending and bench trials by preparing sample blends, labelling samples precisely and logging trial notes to assist winemaker decision-making for final blends.
Ensure accurate record-keeping for all production activities: batch logs, tank movements, sanitation records, equipment checklists, and vintage reports to support traceability and audits.
Assist with temperature control tasks including refrigeration monitoring, cold room stocking, and ensuring fermentation tanks are maintained within target thermal ranges.
Participate in bottling and packaging changeovers, labeling, and bundling operations, including final product inspection and palletising ready for distribution.
Adhere to workplace health and safety policies: participate in toolbox talks, report hazards, follow confined-space entry procedures and use required PPE at all times.
Support harvest and vintage operations: long shifts, overnight transfers, pump-overs, punch-downs and urgent maintenance to ensure continuous processing during peak periods.
Train and mentor seasonal and junior staff in safe cellar practices, basic analyses and SOPs to maintain team capability and consistency across shifts.
Coordinate with logistics and warehouse teams for order fulfillment, pallet labelling, product rotation and sample dispatch for sales, tastings and customer deliveries.
Implement quality assurance checks during packaging runs: verify fill volumes, closures, capsule integrity, and correct labelling and extension coding to reduce returns and ensure compliance.
Troubleshoot process upsets with production leads and assist in root-cause analysis, documenting corrective actions and implementing preventative measures to avoid recurrence.
Maintain a clean, organised cellar environment and foster a culture of continuous improvement by suggesting operational efficiencies, workflow changes and safety enhancements.

Secondary Functions

Help prepare and set up cellar spaces for events, cellar-door tastings or tours when required, ensuring production areas are tidy and safe.
Support inventory audits and stocktakes for packaging materials, barrels and storage containers and reconcile discrepancies with the warehouse team.
Assist with rudimentary equipment calibration and verification tasks for basic gauges and flow meters under supervision from the lab or maintenance team.
Provide ad-hoc logistical support during peak periods (harvest, bottling) including driving site forklifts or vehicles if licenced and coordinating with external contractors.
Participate in continuous improvement and waste reduction initiatives, suggesting process improvements to reduce water, chemical and energy usage.
Support seasonal winery projects such as barrel remediation, tank relining, small capital works and cellar reconfiguration under supervision.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in cellar operations: racking, transfers, topping, barrel handling, and pump management.
Strong knowledge of CIP (clean-in-place) and sanitation protocols for tanks, hoses and filtration systems.
Experience operating and conducting basic maintenance on bottling/canning lines, filters, pumps and compressors.
Practical ability to take and record lab measures: Brix, specific gravity, pH, titratable acidity (TA) and Free SO2.
Filtration and clarification skills including plate-and-frame, cartridge and crossflow/membrane experience.
Familiarity with basic HACCP, food safety and traceability systems in beverage production environments.
Ability to perform cold stabilisation, fining agent preparation and clarification treatments as directed by winemaking staff.
Competency in basic preventative maintenance: lubrication, seal replacement, hose fitting and minor mechanical troubleshooting.
Skilled in safe material handling: pallet jack and forklift operation (if licenced), barrel rolling and manual handling best practices.
Accurate production record-keeping, batch logging and competency with production management or inventory systems (e.g., vintrace, Ekos, or similar).
Understanding of fermentation dynamics and ability to monitor and report on fermentation progress and anomalies.
Competence in following and implementing WHS and confined-space entry procedures.

Soft Skills

Strong attention to detail and accuracy in both physical work and record-keeping.
Excellent communication skills to coordinate with winemakers, lab personnel, logistics and seasonal staff.
Physically fit and resilient with the ability to handle repetitive tasks, long shifts, and heavy lifting during harvest and bottling windows.
Problem-solving mindset with the ability to triage equipment faults and participate in root-cause analysis.
Team-player attitude: collaborative, punctual and willing to work flexible schedules including nights and weekends during peak periods.
Time management and organisational skills to prioritise tasks during busy production cycles.
Proactive approach to safety and continuous improvement with the ability to suggest and adopt process enhancements.
Adaptability and willingness to learn new equipment, procedures and industry best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

Certificate III in Wine Industry / Viticulture & Winemaking or Certificate III in Food Processing / Manufacturing.
Vocational qualifications in Mechanical or Plant Maintenance preferred for roles with equipment responsibility.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Viticulture & Winemaking
Food Technology / Food Science
Mechanical / Plant Maintenance
Hospitality or Beverage Production

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0–3 years in cellar or beverage production roles; seasonal or harvest experience acceptable.

Preferred: 1–3 years hands-on experience in a winery, brewery or beverage production facility with demonstrable experience in racking, filtration, bottling, sanitation (CIP) and basic lab sampling.

Additional desirable certifications or licences: forklift licence, chemical handling certification (GHS), first aid certificate, confined-space awareness and COVID-19 vaccinations as required by site policy.