Head Winemaker – Hambledon Wine Estate

Hambledon Wine Estate is the birthplace of English wine, established in 1952 and remains dedicated to producing premium sparkling wine. Now owned by Berry Bros. & Rudd, the UK’s oldest fine wine and spirits merchant, and Symington Family Estates, the world’s leading producer of premium port. This shared history, expertise and commitment to the industry is guiding the next chapter of Hambledon’s evolution and transformative growth. The estate is in the village of Hambledon in Hampshire, with a 220‑acre vineyard and 500‑tonne winery, producing traditional‑method sparkling wines, across 4 tiers. Expansion and improvement plans are well underway with recent capital investment across the wine estate. This is a rare chance to join pioneers of wine excellence with a vision to create the finest English sparkling wine, earning a place alongside the world’s most prestigious houses. You will have the opportunity to build a legacy as a benchmark producer and your career working alongside industry leaders. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Head Winemaker will drive wine style and quality, shaping the Hambledon portfolio through technical leadership and brand advocacy. Part of the senior management team, this role will be responsible for managing the winery and ensuring excellence across the wine production pipeline. Providing hands‑on leadership to the winemaking and laboratory teams, you will champion a proactive and innovative culture for growth and development.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the winery and production, overseeing all winemaking activities
• Lead, train and mentor the winemaking and laboratory teams, building a high‑performance culture and technical capability
• Set winemaking styles, technical standards, specifications and production processes
• Drive wine quality, maintaining rigorous assurance processes, controls, standards and benchmarks
• Ensure wines meet regulatory compliance and standards, including HACCP and PDO
• Work closely with the Head of Wine Operations to align production plans with sales forecasts and inventory strategy
• Manage winery budgets, delivering forecasts and reports
• Maintain accurate and up to date winemaking and production systems and records
• Operate a safe work environment, ensuring processes are followed and regulatory compliance is met
• Oversee contract winemaking projects, ensuring clients wines meet agreed specifications and quality standards

• Work collaboratively with the wine leadership team, ensuring excellence and consistency across the winemaking pipeline
• Work closely with the Vineyard Manager on harvest decisions and grape specifications
• Partner with the Head of Wine Operations to ensure seamless execution
• Collaborate with commercial and marketing teams to align product with brand strategy and customer expectations
• Contribute to capital investment decisions and projects to improve winery efficiency, operations and quality
• Represent Hambledon as a brand advocate among trade, media, partners and industry

• Lead new product development and refine wine styles, ensuring Hambledon remains at the forefront of English sparkling innovation
• Introduce and embed improvements in efficiency, quality and sustainability
• Champion sustainable winemaking practices and resource efficiency across the winery, assessing winemaking inputs and processes

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Tertiary qualification in Oenology or equivalent
• Relevant winemaking experience within a commercial winery
• Proven track record of producing high‑quality sparkling wines, with strong technical knowledge and experience of traditional method production
• Well‑developed wine sensory and quality assessment skills, with training in wine assessment, sensory analysis, wine show judging, or similar an advantage
• Commercial awareness alongside technical excellence
• Hands‑on leadership style and experience developing technical teams
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across vineyard, operations, and commercial teams
• High standards and attention to detail
• Curious, innovative and improvement‑oriented
• Valid passport

This role is open to international applicants with visa sponsorship available. If you have UK citizenship, permanent work rights, or are eligible for a UK Ancestry Visa, this will be an advantage to your application.