One of the best ways to get a career you love is to know all the types of jobs that are out there. If you love alcohol, and love knowing facts about the vintage, the production, and the brands behind the bottle, then there is a perfect career for you. Turn your efforts towards the wine industry. It is perfect for connoisseurs to do what they love and get more insider’s information for their own collections! Find your place in the UK’s growing wine industry. Interested? Here’s a quick guide on what you need to know before you start your career in the wine industry:
Your Job Will Take Place in One of Three Places:
- On licensed establishments
These include licensed retailers, grocery stores, speciality stores, or any other store that sells wines. You could either work for the store itself or for a brand and act as an ambassador. You will be talking with customers, answering their questions, and selling them the best wine they’ve ever had.
- For the distributor
While this isn’t so much a place as it is an area or territory, you could also work for a distributor or as the partnered distributor. This means liaising with others to get the wine into stores, restaurants, or markets on behalf of the winery you work for.
- At the vineyard
This means you can either have a more agricultural approach and tend to the vines themselves, or you can work in their cellar door. Usually, both jobs require a vast knowledge and understanding of viticulture, so studying the art of wine making is essential.
You Could be Doing:
- Production
Production refers to viticulture and oenology. Viticulture is researching and producing the best grapes for each wine. It means you will be managing the fields and production of the grapes themselves. You typically need an advanced degree to be a viticulturist. Oenology is the science behind wine production. They are the ones that know different methods and techniques that make wine. Typically, they know about fermentation and microbiology, and as such, this job also requires an advanced degree. For smaller vineyards, you might find that you will have to have experience in both fields.
- Sales & Marketing
This department is the same as it is in any industry, but you must have a knowledge of wines to flourish and succeed. Whether you are selling on the premises such as a cellar door, as a distributor, or in store, there is an art to wine sales. You’ll have to have the same finesse in your sales pitch regardless of whether you’re selling direct to consumer or a wine buyer. Le Cordon Bleu offer diplomas in wine and management, so you can truly stand out at the top of your sales game.
- Administration
Every industry needs an administration department to get things done and organised. The general manager needs to be able to budget a winery. If you have the business smarts, and a background in the wine industry, it’s the perfect position.
Go out and pursue your passion in an industry that always has an audience. Most of the positions do require a degree, and there are internship opportunities just like many other industries. Unlike most other industries, however, the skills needed to work in the industry can be learned in a short, directed course that gives you everything you need to succeed.