Winery Owner or Proprietor
At most wineries in the country this is the entire buying committee. Reachable, decisive, and unimpressed by anything that reads as a template.
Winemaker
Owns what goes into the wine and therefore signs off on barrels, yeast, filtration and lab services. Technical, and quick to spot a supplier who is not.
Vineyard Manager
Runs the growing side: planting, canopy, irrigation, spray programs and harvest timing. An agricultural buyer with an agricultural calendar.
Cellar Master
Day-to-day production floor. Specifies consumables, tank space and equipment that has to work during crush rather than in a brochure.
Production Manager
Scheduling, throughput and bottling runs. The person who feels a bottleneck first and has budget to remove it.
General Manager
Commercial oversight across production, hospitality and sales. Where an offer goes when it is too big for one department.
Operations Manager
Warehousing, inventory, fulfilment and compliance paperwork. Buys systems rather than ingredients.
Purchasing Manager
Consolidates supplier relationships at businesses large enough to have one. At smaller wineries this job simply does not exist.
Supply Chain Manager
Dry goods, glass, closures and inbound freight. Plans against bottling dates, so timing an approach around those dates matters.
Direct-to-Consumer Director
Owns the highest-margin channel in the business: club, e-commerce and shipping. The buyer for most software sold into this sector.
Tasting Room Manager
Runs the on-site retail and hospitality operation. Point of sale, staffing, reservations and merchandise sit here.
Wine Club Manager
Membership growth, retention and fulfilment. A specific, measurable budget that responds well to a specific, measurable pitch.
Marketing Manager
Brand, packaging design, events and trade press. Buys agency work, print and digital services on an annual rhythm.
National Sales Manager
Manages the distributor relationship and chases depletions. Their problem is shelf presence, not production.
Import and Export Manager
Freight, customs, documentation and label approvals. A specialist role that only exists at businesses crossing borders.
Category Buyer
At retailers, wholesalers and chains, the person who decides which wines get listed at all. The hardest contact to reach and the most valuable.