LENNDEVOURS

Brooklyn Uncorked 2008: May 14 @ BAMCafe

Do you live in the greater New York City area and want to get your mouth around a wide array of local wines (and beers) without loading up the car and driving out to the North Fork of Long Island?

If the answer is yes, Brooklyn Uncorked 2008 is for you.

On Wednesday May 14, the Long Island Wine Council, Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End will welcome 30 Long Island wineries, and several local breweries, food purveyors and restaurants to BAMCafe (30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn) for this year's edition of Brooklyn Uncorked.

The event runs from 4-8 p.m. and tickets are $50.

Last year's event was a lot of fun, and based on the huge success (it sold out and was packed) they've decided to expand the event into BAM's lobby so that more wineries can participate along with local breweries like Blue Point Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Heartland Brewery, Sixpoint Craft Ales and Southampton Publick House.

The wineries pouring at the event include Bedell Cellars, Bridge Vineyards, Castello di Borghese, Channing Daughters, Clovis Point Wines, Corey Creek Vineyards, Duckwalk Vineyards, Jamesport Vineyards, Jason’s Vineyard, Lieb Family Cellars, Lenz Winery, Long Island Meadery, Macari Vineyards, Martha Clara Winery, Old Field Vineyards, Osprey’s Dominion, Palmer Vineyards, Paumanok Vineyards, Peconic Bay Winery, Pelligrini, Pindar, Raphael, Roanoke Vineyards, Shinn Estate Vineyards, Vineyard 48, Waters Crest Winery, and Wölffer Estate Vineyards,

There will also be cheeses from Stinky Bklyn and Whole Foods Market, Long Island potato chips, tasty sorbet from Wine Cellar Sorbets, freshly pressed coffees from Bodum, and natural sodas from Grown-up Soda (GuS).

Last year there was a dire need for more food, so it's great that restaurants from the neighborhood will be serving samples as well, including Bonita, Flatbush Farm, iCi (where I had a pre-event lunch last year), La Maison du Couscous, Little D Eatery, Palo Santo, Smoke Joint (where I had a post-event dinner last year), and Stonehome Wine Bar, as well as Great Performances caterers. Music will be provided by WLIU radio. Glasses are courtesy of Reidel.

I'm definitely going to be at this event, so if you're going to go, please make sure you let me know.

I also may have a couple tickets to give away here on LENNDEVOURS. I just need to work out those details.

You can get more information and order tickets via Edible Brooklyn's site.

Job Posting: Retail Operations Manager at Peconic Bay Winery

The following job opening at Peconic Bay Winery was emailed to me this morning:

Retail Operations Manager
Established in 1979, this winery was among the first handful of founding wine properties  in what is now a vibrant 3500 acre wine-growing region on Long Island’s bucolic North Fork - just 90 miles from mid-town Manhattan.

The winery and tasting room grounds center on a turn-of-the-century family homestead in the heart of Cutchogue, NY. There are open lawns, and beautiful vistas across the surrounding vineyards. Located directly on “The Long Island Wine Trail (Route 25)”, the winery receives excellent seasonal traffic flows driving retail sales from the winery.

With the completion of an interior renovation of our tasting room, we seek an energetic, wine savvy and dynamic hospitality-oriented tasting room manager who can efficiently build, lead and train a staff of 12 (rotational), and create a tightly managed tasting room that consistently delivers outstanding, friendly, courteous and knowledgeable service.  This position will interact directly with Marketing to define and execute on the total client experience at the winery and in all aspects of sales to individuals, onsite and online.

Successful candidate will have at least 2 years of higher education and at least 5 years of success in a well-managed, hospitality-oriented sales environment -- higher end food and wine.

Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:

• Creating dynamic programs and events to draw and interest visitors and encourage repeat   visitation.
• Hiring and training staff to brand standards.
• Delivering first-rate service to guests in presenting our wines, philosophies and brand message   at our tasting room and any future additional outlets.
• Merchandizing wines and related items with retail design sensibilities appropriate to the brand.
• Fully exploit capabilities of our POS system, to enhance the client experience and create lasting   relationships.
• Coordinate all retail client “touches” including, e-nnouncements, newsletters, and wine club initiatives.  Hire light entertainment such as authors for book signings, storytellers, musicians and other on-site entertainment
• Exceptional record-keeping and fiscal management, including financial projection and budgeting.

You must be able to stand for long periods, lift and handle 45Lbs as necessary

Salary and benefits commensurate with experience.  Please send resume, supporting information, and salary requirements to:

Ms. Jennifer Bruer
PO Box 818
Cutchogue, New York  11935

Job Posting: Tasting Room Manager at Ravines Wine Cellars

Ravines Wine Cellars, a boutique Finger Lakes winery is seeking an experienced tasting room manager for its location on Keuka Lake in Hammondsport, NY. 

The candidate must have excellent communication, administrative and sales skills as well as a real passion for fine wine and food. The Finger Lakes is an incredibly exciting and growing viticultural area and Ravines Wine Cellars is one of only a handful of wineries specializing in fine, dry European-style wines.

You can read about them in this month's issue of Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine (the story written by LENNDEVOURS' own Jason Feulner), Wine Spectator online, and at Ravineswinecellars.com.

Candidates should email resume and cover letter to Lisa Hallgren at ravines@citlink.net

Salary is based on talent and experience.

Job Posting: Assistant Sales & Marketing Manager for Bedell Cellars

Bedell Cellars is looking to hire a new Assistant Sales & Marketing Manager. The position combines wine club management with development of our most upscale and sophisticated customers--both retail buyers plus wholesale customers like sommeliers and restaurants.

Candidates will be expected to:

Marketing

• Conduct external tastings and events in NYC and Hamptons to drive brand awareness (e.g. City-Meals-On-Wheels in Rockefeller Center)
• Develop and maintain wine club website and quarterly newsletter
• Work with other management staff in developing wine club promotions & incentives
• Train, oversee and report on tasting room staff wine club incentive program

Operations

• Write five year plan, including goals for sales, new member sign-up, and annual retention/attrition
• Assemble and ship wines quarterly assuring timely fulfillment of member & VIP orders
• Forecast wines for future shipments and manage wine club inventory allocations
• Develop and maintain database system to track contact info, buying history, visits, favorite wines, customer profiling
• Complete weekly and monthly wine club, sales, brand building and compliance reports

Hospitality

• Solicit and host weekend VIP tours and tastings (some weekend and night work required)
• Develop concierge/attendant relationships with upscale customers and top sommeliers in NYC
• Create and execute tailored events and promos to drive sales and build upscale brand relationships

Salary etc. will be commensurate with experience.

If you are interested, please contact Bedell's COO, Trent Preszler, directly.

Industry Job Opening: Event and Sales Manager, Shinn Estate Vineyards

Shinn Estate Vineyards is looking to hire event and sales manager for their expanding business. The right candidate will have extensive hands-on wine, food and hospitality experience, be self motivated, creative, and have strong ties to Long Island's East End community.

The opening of their Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast in June will serve as a groundbreaking opportunity to integrate an exciting wine, food and lodging experience for travelers to Long Island.

Salary is based on talent and experience.

If you're interested in the position, please email resumes to Barbara Shinn and David Page at shinnvin@optonline.net.