What Are the Different Types of Wine Industry Jobs?

Wine industry jobs are available in every step of the winemaking process, from growing grapes in a vineyard to stocking the wine on the shelves of a liquor store. Many of the positions will require some sort of education or training, though some may not require such training and are great ways for someone to break into the industry to learn more. Winemaker positions are the most in-depth wine industry jobs, as these individuals are responsible for the winemaking process from beginning to end; vineyard managers are responsible for growing grapes and preventing damage to the grapes during the growing season.

Vineyard attendants and assistants will work with the vineyard manager to run all aspects of the vineyard business. These wine industry jobs may range from grape picker to tractor operator, or even sales floor associate. Some of these wine industry jobs will teach employees the finer details of the winemaking process, preparing them for better jobs within the industry. Winemakers may hire inexperienced employees to run machinery such as bottling machines or even forklifts that transport barrels.

Winemakers will combine different grapes to come up with the specific flavor of the wine. They will be responsible for monitoring and tasting the wine to ensure it is aging properly, and will oversee all other aspects of the winemaking process. Some winemakers are even involved in the marketing end of the business, creating label designs and pitching sales to potential customers. These jobs can be delegated to marketers or distributors if the winemaker is not comfortable performing these tasks.

Other wine industry jobs may include wine delivery, sales, marketing, reviewing, and so on. Wine delivery must be done carefully to avoid damaging the bottles and exposing the wine to high temperatures or direct sunlight, so precautions are often taken to prevent such damage. Sales can take place at liquor stores, grocery stores, wine shops, restaurants, and online. Marketing can be done by a marketing team within the company, or it can be done by an outside marketing firm hired to give the brand a good name and plenty of exposure. Wine reviewers often publish in-depth reviews of new and old wines to give customers a better idea of which wines are high-quality and which ones are not necessarily up to snuff. Wine reviewing tends to be a highly subjective job, however, and there is much dispute over the value of reviews.