Getting into the business.

Hi, guys. It's been a while, I know. My fortunes have taken a turn for the worse, and the wines I drink haven't fared all that well, either.

Nevertheless, when my older daughter told me she's looking for a new path in life, and is thinking about getting into the wine business, this is the first place I thought of. As it stands, she has no idea where to start. Is getting a job in a tasting room a good idea, or the kiss of death? Is it better to start at a winery, a wine shop, or a distributor, or does it depend on one's ultimate goals? Most important, should I invite her to come here to discuss it with anyone who might be able to give her some pointers?

What is she wanting to do in the business? Grape grower? Wine maker? Sommelier? Store owner?

[Jenise]

Hi, Isaac. Sorry about your fortunes, as it were. Hope the future brings better.

I'd suggest going to California and finding any job to start out with.
Tasting room would be fine.

There, she woud be able to LEARN and NETWORK and progress.

All the best,
Alex

[Jenise]

I'd suggest going to California and finding any job to start out with.
Tasting room would be fine.

There, she woud be able to LEARN and NETWORK and progress.

All the best,
Alex

Alex, you may not have noticed, but Isaac and family live in Oregon. Why would she not be able to learn and progress there as well?

Jenise,

Of course, you are right.

It's just that there are more opportunities in the Golden State.

All the best,
Alex

[Jenise]

Jenise,

Of course, you are right.

It's just that there are more opportunities in the Golden State.

All the best,
Alex

More wineries probably does equate to more jobs. But it's also an expensive place to live on a tasting room salary: Oregon's smaller, more intimate wine industry might might be a better place to start out for someone who's willing to dig in and work hard.

if a job in a winery nearby is open; go for it. BUT that isn't the best way to learn the business - not by a long shot unless it is the part of the business you want to stay in forever. the one place to really begin to learn in retail - a general purpose store that sells both low end and high end wines so you learn what consumers want and don't want - what works and what doesn't. then, thake that knowledge to the distributor level and learn that end of the business - selling if possible to both retail and restaurant accounts. ONLY then will you be really valuable to an importer or winery.

David,

There is more than one way to skin a cat...

A winery job gives a new depth of meaning to fine wine, making it less of a "disembodied commodity". Furthermore, technical information does not go amiss when presenting wines to certain switched-on customers.
It helps to know what you're talking about, and nothing quite replaces experience in the wine country.

You also meet clients at the winery.

Therefore, while have nothing whatsoever against an apprenticeship in the retail trade, I would rather hire a young person who has worked in the Barossa Valley and Rioja than one who with experience in a big city liquor store.

Yours sincerely,
Alex R.

Hi Isaac,
I agree with Jack R, first she has to ask herself- what segment of the “wine business” is she interested in?

Salute

Thanks, Jenise. At present, I'm back in school, improving my knowledge and skills for when the job market improves.

To all who responded: thank you. I'm trying to get my daughter to join the conversation.

Considering you are in Oregon and its October, has she ever made her own wine? Even a 5 gallon batch can provide an insight as to how much one really wants to be involved in the production side of the business. If you don't want to rack 5 gallons when its time, how much is one going to like racking numerous barrels.

Also a tasting room job is a great place to figure out how much one really wants to work with the public. I did this for a year or so at a small winery and you can get a feel quick if this is something you want to do or not. Also its a good way to transition to celler rat as more hands are often needed for bottling, topping up, etc. and people to taste blending trials.

Alex - working at a winery would give 'new depth of meaning to fine wine' only if the winery produced 'fine wine'. and since wineries produce what they produce - whatever that may be, you get to experience only that particular wineries take of wine - which may be making money rather than 'fine wine' - or giving the visitor a 'fun experience', or 'a no snobbery' experience. and thats IF the winery has a tasting room at all rather than just being a producer of 'brands'. granted if all the jobs were at Lafite or its ilk, that would be the way to go. when Fetzer was a family winery that would have been a valuable experience; but now that it is a 'brand' with no tasting room.......

David,

I think working in *any* winery, not just ones making fine wine, is a precious experience.
Obviously, an internship at Château Latour would be preferable to a winery in the Pays d'Oc, but the latter should by no means be discounted in my humble opinion.

Not all wines are fine, and thank goodness for that, because then people who aren't rich (like me) couldn't drink wine often.
The people who make "merely good" wines can indeed have much to be proud of, and working with them can be precious.
In fact, I often find that, both professionally and on a personal basis, the value of vineyard visits is inversely proportional to the estate's reputation!

By the way, even the famous estates aren't charities. They want to "make money" too!
I worked tasting room jobs in the Napa Valley. This taught me a great deal, and being THERE, in the wine country adds another dimension.
You can attend many fascinating tastings in London or New York, but these are often cut off from any context and strangely sterile.

Best regards,
Alex R.

We appear to be underlining the "figure out which end of the business you want to be in" thing. If she wants to work in the production end - as a winemaker, say - then a tasting room would appear to be a good place to start. You'd see what happens through the process, possible from growing grapes all the way through bottling (depending on the winery). If the business end of things is more what she's interested in, then a stint at a good store would probably be the best place to start. She'd get a chance to meet folks working for distributors and other concerns, hear their stories, and decide if that's the kind of thing she'd want to do. She'd meet the public and decide whether dealing with them is fun or gawdawful.

Either way, I'd think that making some of her own wine would be a valuable experience.

I'm pretty sure the business end is more to her liking. She's a people person, and has a business degree.

Hello, all, I am the older daughter that Isaac speaks of. Being a winemaker is not my goal. I have been involved in customer service and retail positions of various kinds, most recently in a small theatre where I manage the office. I hesitate to say what I want to do specifically, because there may be jobs that I would enjoy and be good at that I do not even know exist. I do live in southern Oregon presently, but I'm not averse to relocation.

I know in some businesses, like performing arts, doing a particular kind of job can get you classified as doing only that, possibly forever. That is why Isaac asked about whether or not a tasting room is a dead end or a beginning. It sounds, from this discussion so far, that this is not a business with that sort of issue. I am not particularly interested in owning a shop, but that could change with time. Do wineries have representatives that introduce shops or restaurants to their wines or is that typically done through distributors?

[David M. Bueker]

Some wineries have their own marketing staff. Not sure how many these days in the tight economy, but it does happen.

And welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum. Lots of info for you, wish you plenty of good fortune in your job-hunting. Mondavi used to have their own reps, hiccup...... also Gallo!!!

I think a liquor store that focuses on wine would be a good place to start. I don't know what your knowledge level is right now, but you could take a class, read some books, etc. Finding a job in this type of store shouldn't be too hard. You would certainly learn a lot from the owner and other workers; and the store might sponsor wine tastings and such in which you could participate. You would also get to know people's likes/dislikes. The owner might also help pay for some of your wine "education" since you becoming more knowledgeable might translate into more business.

With that experience and gained knowledge, you would build a good foundation to do something else if you so desired. If you later wanted to go the sommelier route, this experience would be great. If you wanted to own your own store or partner with a group to own a store, you would be well prepared for that. I have to assume it is much easier to break into the store business than the sommelier business but with a wealth of knowledge and maybe even a following of customers, you might have a better chance doing the latter if you so desired. Just my $.02.

I would say either a tasting room (preferably at a winery that works with several different grape varieties) or a retailer. The retail job would expose you to more producers certainly and more varieties as well. Look for one that holds regular tastings for the staff. It might help if you are flexible on your hours and willing to work evenings and weekends. A retail store may need more help on Saturdays and if they have evening hours they may be looking for people willing to work several evenings a week. Hopefully they will have something of a mentoring program where the owner or manager and more experienced staff work closely with the newcomers. I also agree that experience at the retail level would help you move into a sommelier job or work with a distributorship if that is the way you want to go.