Private Client/Trade Ambassador - Ram's Gate Winery

Description Perched atop the rolling hills of the Carneros AVA, where the San Francisco Bay meets the edges of Napa and Sonoma counties, Ram’s Gate Winery stands as a testament to craftsmanship rooted in respect for the land and a steadfast commitment to sustainability. Founded in 2011 by Proprietor Jeff O’Neill, Ram's Gate produces fresh, expressive wines that capture the essence and diversity of Sonoma County’s most renowned vineyards. The 28-acre Ram’s Gate Estate Vineyard is Regenerative Organic Certified®, one of the highest distinctions in sustainable agriculture today, reflecting a holistic approach that nurtures soil health, biodiversity, and ecological balance. This seamless harmony between land and craft extends to the winery’s tasting room, where guests are invited to experience thoughtful winemaking, genuine hospitality, and elevated culinary pairings.

About the

ROLE: Ram’s Gate Winery is seeking an experienced hospitality professional to help shape and lead the estate's guest experience for collectors, members, trade partners, and VIP guests. This role is designed for someone who understands and values relationship-driven hospitality and who has experience building long-term loyalty with discerning clientele in luxury environments. The Private Client/Trade Ambassador serves as a lead representative of the winery through elevated hosting, personalized guest experiences, private client relationship management, and thoughtful public representation of the Ram’s Gate brand. Through close collaboration with the hospitality, culinary, sales, winemaking, marketing, and leadership teams, this role will help guests understand what Ram’s Gate stands for, including our commitment to Regenerative Organic Farming, sustainability, responsible business practices, and the connection between farming, wine, hospitality, and place. The ideal candidate brings a natural sense of hospitality, the ability to leverage emotional intelligence to anticipate guest needs and deliver customized experiences, professionalism, and confidence in high-touch environments. They understand how to create experiences that feel personal, memorable, and genuine while also supporting meaningful business outcomes such as guest retention, membership growth, and long-term client engagement.

Duties and

RESPONSIBILITIES: The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this job, but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities for this job at any time for reasonable accommodation or other reasons. Elevated Guest Experiences

• Host on-site and off-site private tastings, member gatherings, and estate experiences for collectors, members, VIP guests, media, and trade partners as an enthusiastic, welcoming face of the winery.
• Create intentional, welcoming, well-paced, and personalized experiences that reflect the quality, character, and standards of Ram’s Gate
• Guide guests through the winery’s wines, vineyard sources, farming and sustainability practices, hospitality philosophy, and estate story in a natural and engaging way that feels cohesive and memorable
• Serve as the go-to resource for VIPs, members, and private clients on-site, elevating their experience beyond standard service and partnering with the Wine Educator team to ensure a seamless visit Private Client and Member Relationship Management
• Develop and maintain long-term relationships with collectors, members, and high-value guests
• Serve as an ongoing point of contact for select clients, including visit planning, personalized outreach, follow-up communication, and ongoing relationship care
• Maintain accurate and useful guest profiles, relationship notes, preferences, and follow-up details within CRM systems
• Use client insight to support stronger retention, deeper engagement, repeat visits, and thoughtful wine recommendations to help guests understand the broader value of belonging to Ram’s Gate
• Identify opportunities to deepen guest connection with the winery through membership, allocations, library offerings, events, and curated estate experiences Trade and Community Engagement
• Host trade partners, sommeliers, distributors, media, and industry guests at the estate
• Represent Ram’s Gate at winery events, charitable functions, community gatherings, and select offsite experiences
• Build meaningful relationships with partners who share and support the winery’s values, approach to hospitality standards, and commitment to sustainability
• Partner with our sales and leadership teams to cultivate relationship development in key markets as identified by the CMO/EVP Luxury
• Support the winery through occasional travel for trade events, member experiences, or brand representation opportunities Partnership with Hospitality & DTC Operations
• In close partnership with the Tasting Room Management team, plan and coordinate onsite guest visits with thoughtful attention to timing, communication, and service flow for an elevated and seamless guest experience
• Contribute to hospitality goals related to guest satisfaction, conversion, retention, repeat business, and long-term relationship growth
• Help maintain a calm, team-oriented, and highly professional environment during service and events Requirements QUALIFICATIONS: To fulfill this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Required Experience
• Minimum 3 years of experience in luxury hospitality, retail, resort, culinary-focused environments; working directly with ultra-high net worth individuals, top-tier guests, collectors, members, private clients, VIPs, trade partners, or other discerning clientele
• Demonstrated success in building and sustaining long-term client or guest relationships
• Experience hosting personalized, high-touch guest experiences
• Strong understanding of elevated hospitality standards, guest engagement, client follow-up, and relationship-based selling
• Proven ability to communicate complex or nuanced subjects in a clear, warm, and audience-appropriate way
• Experience using CRM systems or guest databases to document preferences, track relationships, and support follow-up
• Ability to work weekends, holidays, evenings, and events as required
• Must be at least 21 years of age
• Required Certifications: California Food Handlers Training & RBS Certification (within 30 days of employment). Preferred Qualifications
• Wine industry experience strongly preferred, particularly in luxury hospitality, private client sales, or winery membership programs
• Knowledge of Sonoma, Napa, fine wine service, and collector culture preferred
• WSET, Court of Master Sommeliers, or similar wine education is a plus, though not required
• Experience representing a luxury brand publicly through events, partnerships, or client development activities Personal Attributes
• Warm, polished, and emotionally intelligent
• Strong interpersonal instincts with the ability to read a room and adapt naturally to different guests and situations
• Excellent communication and listening skills
• Calm under pressure and highly organized
• Comfortable working independently while contributing positively to a collaborative team environment
• Passion for hospitality, wine, food, travel, culture, and creating meaningful guest experiences
• Professional presence with a genuine and approachable style CULTURAL BEHAVIORS: O’Neill team members are Forward Thinkers . Hard Working without Drama. Friendly Problem Solvers who work as One Team to Always Deliver . PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to do the following:
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods
• Ability to lift and