Gimlet is seeking a knowledgeable Sommelier to join our award-winning dining room in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

Located in historic Cavendish House, Gimlet is a restaurant of enduring style — polished yet warm, precise yet generous. Our wine program reflects this philosophy: classic at its core, progressive in its outlook, and deeply connected to growers, regions and seasons.

This is an opportunity for a confident hospitality professional to play a senior role within one of Melbourne’s most respected wine programs, working primarily in Gimlet within a passionate team committed to excellence.

About the Role

As Senior Sommelier, you will be a leader on the floor and a custodian of guest beverage experience. This is a hands‑on role working closely with Beverage Manager Xavier Vigier and the management team to deliver seamless service, develop the team, and uphold the standards that define Gimlet.

Key responsibilities include

- Delivering warm, intuitive and technically sound wine service
- Leading the way in cellar management, stock control and administration
- Contributing to wine list development through strong relationships with suppliers and growers and makers
- Developing the beverage and front of house teams through training, mentorship and active coaching
- Ensuring consistency, quality, accuracy and calm under pressure in a fast‑paced service environment

The Gimlet wine program has been awarded Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards Hall of Fame in 2025, Australian Wine List of the Year 2024 and Best Wine List Victoria amongst other accolades.



Gimlet was also named Restaurant Bar of the Year 2025 and awarded Bar of the Year and New Bar of the Year in 2024 for Apollo Inn.

Our focus is on quality, authenticity and consistency.

What you’ll bring

You are a dedicated hospitality professional with a genuine love of wine and service. You bring confidence without ego, curiosity without pretence, and a strong sense of teamwork.

You will ideally have

- 2+ years' experience as a sommelier in a premium restaurant environment
- Strong wine knowledge across classic and emerging regions and producers, and a desire to continue learning
- A polished service style with excellent communication and adaptable sales skills
- Proven qualities in leadership and mentoring
- Exceptional organisational and time management skills, both in service, and out of service
- A fresh set of eyes, with attention to detail and a desire for continuous improvement
- The ability to champion a positive, respectful and proactive work environment
- Full Australian working rights
- Formal wine qualifications are highly regarded but a genuine passion for delivering an outstanding guest experience is essential.

What you can expect

We offer

- Competitive remuneration, plus generous benefits across the Trader House community
- A balanced roster of day and evening shifts




- Real access to the information you need to make a meaningful contribution to the business of running a wine program
- A structured management training program to ensure your skills diversifies and sharpen, including paid external training and mentoring
- Access to exceptional wine tastings, events and producers
- WSET Level 2 and 3 offered to all staff to ensure an ongoing love of wine within the restaurants and stores
- Mentorship and guidance from leaders in their fields across all departments, including Beverage Manager Xavier Vigier, Senior Wine Buyer Chris Ryan, and Beverage Director Leanne Altmann
- A collaborative working environment across all Trader House beverage teams through exclusive tastings, masterclasses, visits and examination coaching
- A supportive, professional and passionate team culture

This position is a long‑term engagement. The ever-expanding Trader House group looks within for talent to help build recent opportunities - there is always something to work towards on the horizon. You will stay inspired and motivated to keep one of Australia’s favourite restaurants at the forefront of interesting, modern dining for years to come.

Trader House is a collective of restaurants, bars, and specialty retail stores by Melbourne‑based chef, cookbook author and columnist Andrew McConnell and photographer Jo McGann. They are Gimlet, Apollo Inn, Cutler, Supernormal, Cumulus Inc., Marion, Builders Arms Hotel, Bar Miette, Meatsmith Heritage Butcher and Morning Market. Côte Basque will open mid‑2026.

If you take pride in generous hospitality, thoughtful wine service and working at the highest level, we would love to hear from you.

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📌 Sommeliers - Gimlet (Melbourne)
🏢 Gimlet at Cavendish House
📍 Melbourne