Do What You Love

Why do you want to work in the wine industry?

This is a question I ask every single one of my job hunting candidates. I sometimes get sheepish smirks, knowing looks, and rarely blank faces. Although this seems like an innocuous question to most, it tells me a lot about why people are in this business.

Although the wine industry may, at first blush, seem glamorous and intriguing, it isn't without it's downside. Long hours during harvest, cold or hot temperatures in the cellar, back breaking labor, and occasionally tempermental co-workers can put a crimp in anyone's spirit. If the reason someone wants to work in a winery is for the high pay and upward mobility I re-examine their future in the wine industry.

Now, if I ask the question and someone's face lights up and she says, "I have a passion for wine" I think she might have a chance in this business. For this person, that love of wine will make her a quicker learner about the industry and how things are done. She might take the long hours at harvest easily in stride, because of her proximity to the fruit, the intimate interaction of the winemaking process, and the magic that results.

Many people go to college and graduate with a winemaking degree and go straight into a winery. Many more people start a career in a different field, and through their interest in wine, decide to make a switch. I have worked with many successful wine industry converts, and encourage anyone to think about making the switch. But first you have to ask yourself why. Love and Passion make it a lot more fun. In wine and in life!