Los Gatos CA - Tasting Room Manager

Byington Winery — Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

Base Salary: $26-30/hr DOE | Plus performance incentives

Schedule:

Tasting

Hours:

Friday – Sunday

Byington Winery is a boutique estate winery nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains — one of California's most distinctive and storied appellations. We produce small-lot, terroir-driven wines and offer guests an intimate, elevated tasting experience unlike anything found in larger wine regions.

We are looking for a dynamic, sales-minded leader to take ownership of our tasting room and drive a genuine turnaround. This is not a caretaker role — it's an opportunity for an entrepreneurial hospitality professional to rebuild a team, energize a guest experience, and directly grow revenue and wine club membership. The right candidate will be empowered to make this role their own, with meaningful performance-based upside to match.

If you've grown tasting room sales, converted walk-in guests into loyal members, and built a strong hospitality team — we want to talk.

• Set the tone for every guest interaction — creating personalized, memorable tasting experiences that reflect the quality and story of Byington's wines and the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation.
• Drive tasting room revenue through skilled storytelling, consultative selling, and genuine hospitality — not high-pressure tactics.
• Personally engage with guests on the floor during peak tasting hours, modeling the standard you expect from your team.
• Resolve guest concerns promptly and with grace.

• Recruit, hire, train, and develop a high-performing tasting room team that reflects Byington's standards.
• Build a culture of accountability, warmth, and excellence — coaching staff on wine knowledge, sales technique, and hospitality.
• Manage scheduling and staffing to ensure optimal coverage during tasting hours (Friday–Sunday) and events.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide ongoing, constructive feedback.

• Manage tasting room inventory — wine, merchandise, and supplies — with accurate record-keeping.
• Oversee POS systems, daily sales reporting, and cash handling procedures.
• Maintain a tasting room environment that is consistently clean, organized, and presentation-ready.
• Ensure full compliance with California ABC regulations and all local health and safety requirements.

We believe the right person for this role should be rewarded for results. In addition to the $26-$30 hourly wage, this position includes a performance incentive plan.

We will walk through the full incentive structure transparently during the interview process.

• 3+ years of tasting room, hospitality, or experiential retail experience, with at least 1–2 years in a leadership or supervisory role.
• Demonstrated track record of driving sales and/or growing wine club membership — please come ready to discuss specific numbers.
• Strong floor presence: you're energized by guest interaction, not just comfortable with it.
• Experience recruiting, training, and developing a hospitality team.
• Excellent communication skills and genuine warmth with guests and staff alike.
• Availability Friday - Sunday, including holidays.

• Wine knowledge commensurate with the role: WSET Level 2+, CSW, or Sommelier certification preferred; deep practical knowledge considered equally.
• Familiarity with the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation and its wines.
• Experience developing local partnerships or community outreach to drive tasting room traffic.
• Proficiency with wine DTC platforms (Commerce7 or similar) and POS systems.

• You see a quiet tasting room as a problem to solve, not an easy…