Sommelier

About the hotel

Rhinefield House is a 19th-century mock-Elizabethan mansion set deep in the New Forest, at the end of a celebrated mile-long ornamental drive just outside Brockenhurst, Hampshire. Part of the privately-owned Hand Picked Hotels collection of 21 country houses and coastal retreats, the 50-bedroom hotel is home to the AA Rosette Armada Restaurant, with its famous Spanish Armada-inspired carved ceiling, the relaxed Alhambra Lounge and 40 acres of formal gardens and ornamental ponds. Rhinefield welcomes weekending couples, wedding parties and country house enthusiasts drawn to its drama, heritage and genuine New Forest setting.

The work

• • Curate and lead the wine offer across the Armada Restaurant and lounges
• • Deliver memorable, story-led wine service across lunch, dinner and tasting menus
• • Build the wine list with the Head Chef around seasonal menu changes
• • Manage cellar stock, ordering, rotation and GP discipline
• • Run wine training and tastings for the wider F&B and reception teams
• • Develop bespoke pairings for private dining, weddings and tasting menus
• • Build personal relationships with growers, agents and importers
• • Champion English and New Forest producers alongside classic regions
• • Drive wine-by-the-glass innovation, by-the-bottle margins and upsell
• • Represent Rhinefield House as the public face of wine on the floor

This role is for you if…

• • You have proven Sommelier or strong Assistant Sommelier experience
• • You hold WSET Level 3 (or are actively working towards it)
• • You are warm, story-led and genuinely enjoy guests on the floor
• • You are commercially fluent on stock, GP and cellar management
• • You are excited to lead a wine programme inside a country house hotel

This role might not be for you if…

• • You prefer purely back-of-house cellar work
• • You are not available for evenings, weekends and weddings
• • You are uncomfortable with KPIs around upsell and GP
• • You prefer a single-style fine-dining-only environment with no events