English Wine Guide

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ENGLISH WINE JOBS: WHAT YOU COULD YOU DO?

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In 2024, amongst a backdrop of quiet quitting and workers re-thinking their priorities post-pandemic, more people than ever are considering career changes.

Working in the English wine industry offers a diverse range of career opportunities spanning various sectors, from viticulture and winemaking to marketing and hospitality.

If you’re wondering about some of the jobs that you could do in the wine industry, then look no further. Here are some of the jobs available in English wine.

English wine jobs: Vineyard Manager or Supervisor

Vineyard managers oversee all aspects of vineyard operations, including planting, pruning, canopy management, irrigation, pest control, and harvest planning. They are responsible for ensuring the health and productivity of the vines while adhering to sustainable farming practices.

Vineyard supervisors are likely to work to support the vineyard manager. Not all vineyards will have supervisors and managers, but large ones will.

Current Opportunities: Chapel Down currently has vacancies for both vineyard managers and supervisors. Check out more here.

English wine jobs: Vineyard operative and winery hand

Vineyard operatives are hands on roles and pivotal in the day to day operations on the vineyard. This is predominately an agricultural role, with responsibility for harvesting and managing grapes.

Winery hands are likely to be more involved in the wine making process. Performing tasks such as grape crushing, fermentation monitoring, barrel maintenance, and wine racking. They play a crucial role in maintaining cleanliness and sanitation standards to ensure wine quality and consistency.

This could be the type of job that you could move into if you have little experience with wine, but perhaps more experience in agriculture.

Current Opportunities: Chapel Down currently has a vacancy for vineyard operatives. Check out more here.

English wine jobs: Wine maker

Wine makers are the ones who make the magic happen. Taking the grapes and turning them into something that is delicious to drink. This is a bit of an expert job, and requires a history of working with wine as well as a lot of specialist knowledge.

I love this blog by CGT wines, a day in the life of a wine maker which has more information on what the job involves.

English wine jobs: Retail, distribution or e-commerce

Retailers, wholesalers, and importers specialize in sourcing, purchasing, and distributing English wines to retail outlets, restaurants, and consumers. They manage inventory, negotiate contracts, and provide customer service to meet the demand for English wines in domestic and international markets.

There are also many retail jobs available in online stores for wineries. Or of course, within the winery shop.

Current opportunities: Chapel Down is currently advertising for an E-Commerce lead. Check out more here.

English wine jobs: Marketing

Marketing professionals promote English wines to distributors, retailers, restaurants, and consumers through various channels, including tastings, events, trade shows, social media, and e-commerce platforms.

They develop marketing strategies, manage sales accounts, and build relationships with clients to drive sales and brand awareness.

This type of work would suit a marketing professional who has worked in consumer goods and wants to move into the wine industry.

English wine jobs: Hospitality, tourism and events

With the growing popularity of wine tourism, there is a demand for hospitality professionals to work in vineyard tasting rooms, wine bars, restaurants, and boutique hotels.

Roles include tasting room hosts, tour guides, hospitality managers, and event coordinators, who create memorable experiences for visitors and promote wine tourism in the region.

One of the things that I love about the English wine industry is that it is moving so quickly. There are some really exciting tours that are emerging, with self-starting entrepreneurs creating their own tours from the ground up.

English wine jobs: Seasonal work

Seasonal work is often available in English wineries. This might be getting involved with harvest or helping out with the wine making at peak times. Many wineries in England are managed by small teams, sometimes family run. So they hire seasonal workers to help out.

This is the perfect work if you want to learn more about the wine industry without committing too much.

How to start out in the English wine industry?

I’ve researched the career paths of many wine professionals, and there seems to be a few routes that are available if you want to break into the English wine industry.

1/ Working in wine retail – many people who have taken a journey into the wine industry started with jobs in retail. This could be in a small wine shop, or a larger chain like Majestic Wine, or even an online retailer like Naked Wines.

2/ Graduate schemes or school leavers scheme – historically, this route probably wasn’t available. But today, the winery Denbies offers both schemes to help young people break into the wine industry.

3/ Hands on experience – working from the grapes up. My research has shown that a great number of people have started their careers in the wine industry by working in a vineyard. Specifically, learning their craft. There are many sites that offer chances to volunteer with wineries – this doesn’t have to be in the UK. Try WorkAway, or WOOF where you can get placements overseas.

4/ Taking wine courses – WSET is considered as the standard for wine training. Many people pivoted into the wine industry through taking a course.

5/ Gain relevant experience in different industries – another route into English wine is to work in a relevant industry to hone your craft. This could be e-commerce, retail, marketing or even events management. If you have the experience and a passion for wine, there’s nothing to stop you bringing your skills to the wine industry.

Useful resources for English wine jobs

If you have a favourite vineyard, it is worth keeping an eye directly on their website. For example, Denbies has regular jobs that they list on their site. As does Chapel Down.

Otherwise, Wine Jobs England is an excellent site for jobs in English wine as well as genral wine industry work in England.

Where to next?