So You Want to be a Winemaker? Prepared by Professors Lucia and Jack Gilbert
Career Advice from 100+ Noted Women Winemakers Globally
Santa Clara University
(Revised July 2018)
Becoming a winemaker involves falling in love with wine and discovering your natural gifts and passion. How does that happen? The paths and contexts may differ, but certain elements are in common. Serendipity, persistence, and being fascinated by smell and taste all play a part.
- The career paths for both female and male winemakers are challenging and demanding, but the fact that the field remains male dominated presents additional challenges to women who wish to achieve this goal. For these reasons, we continue to ask for advice from women winemakers in California as well as from winemakers located in prominent wine regions internationally. To date, we have sought such advice from over 100 noted winemakers working in California and in Portugal, New Zealand, Spain, and France.
- The women with whom we had conversations craft their wines in wineries of various sizes and varied locations. They also vary in their career pathways, family backgrounds, and years in the field. Some are both winemakers and winery owners. Some graduated from viticulture and enology programs, others came to winemaking from careers in chemistry, biology, food and wine, or technology, and some grew up in a wine family. Many have children and most are in committed romantic relationships.
- Without exception, the women are similar in their passion for their work and their willingness to share their experiences and advice with others who are considering winemaking as a career or seeking to advance further in their career.
Section I: Some initial questions to consider.
We begin with two initial questions as a way of self-reflection. We posed these same two questions to the women winemakers with whom we spoke. And we pose these same two questions to you!
"Do you have access to a professional network that can support and guide you?"
Section II: What does it take and what to expect?
This section describes experiences that are viewed as necessary or highly recommended by the women with whom we spoke.
1. Education is important.
A clear theme was that a science background and a degree in a relevant area of science is important, preferably a degree in enology and viticulture.
- Getting your foot in the door/progressing in your career will likely be harder if you do not have a formal degree of any type. Larger wineries require a science degree; smaller wineries are more open to not having a degree.
- "Getting an academic basis first" was an oft-mentioned piece of advice.
2. Experience is multifaceted and includes working harvests, cellar work, and lab work.
- ➢Harvest and volunteer work experience are essential.
Volunteer or paid work experience in any area of the wine business is useful in finding out if this is the field and career for you. Doing a harvest is a good first step to getting your foot in the door and finding out if there is a good match with your interests and abilities in winemaking.
- If there seems to be a good match, it would be important to participate in crushes at different wineries, including international locations. Seeking out overseas experiences may be seen as showing a higher level of commitment and ambition. In addition, by working in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, you can do at least two crushes each year.
- A recurring piece of advice was, "get as much experience as you can in all parts of the industry and travel to other countries [to broaden your winemaking knowledge]."
- ➢Cellar experience is clearly important.
Getting access to cellar work is still more difficult for women for reasons associated with tradition and gender stereotypes. Nonetheless, increasing numbers of women today are gaining cellar experience and many are learning it on the job (see section below on lab experience).
- Women's (and men's) size and strength vary greatly, and this calls for different strategies for accomplishing cellar work effectively. Smaller women (and men) think strategically about how best to use their physical strength and size to accomplish what needs to be done in the cellar. For example, using the principles of physics in moving heavy equipment works as well as resorting to brute strength and also has the added benefit of being easier on the back.
- Organizational and management skills are valuable in the cellar; cellar work is not only about dragging hoses and moving barrels.
- Learning to drive a forklift is essential! Being able to do so seems to be an important criterion for earning respect among co-workers, in particular those holding cellar positions and affectionately referred to as "cellar rats."
- ➢Laboratory experience is often where women can get their foot in the door.
Laboratory experience was viewed as important. However, many of the winemakers we spoke with mentioned that women run the risk of getting "stuck" in the lab.
- A rule of thumb mentioned is not being in the lab for more than five or six years. Otherwise you may get "stuck" there.
- Also noted was the importance of making yourself available and showing interest in other areas, such as bottling, ordering, and cellar work, while working in the lab, and to giving your "all" when requesting or being given these opportunities.
3. A strong work ethic is crucial.
Work ethic was noted as crucial. Winemaking is not an "8 to 5" job, and a "can-do" attitude and persistence were mentioned as particularly important.
- It was advised not to think that anything is beneath you; be eager to learn more, and be ready to jump in with both feet.
- Winemaking is a physical job and requires long hours. "You need to figure out how to do what is needed in your own way. There is no one right way."
4. Networking is important.
The importance of networking was emphasized in our conversations with women winemakers.
- It is possible to develop a network by attending conferences and staying in contact with your cohort of future winemakers at the college/university you attended.
- Another way to expand your network is to become a member of a wine-tasting group. It is advisable to get into more than one tasting group and to taste with people who are more knowledgeable about wine than you.
5. Mentors are important.
Having a mentor is important.
- Apprentice under someone whose wines you admire and let that person know that you are a person worth investing in.
- Use your network to identify possible mentors.
6. What one brings in the way of personal qualities is also crucial.
The seven personal qualities mentioned most often are those listed below.
- A discriminating palate.
- Creativity.
- Confidence. Enthusiasm. Passion that other people can recognize.
- Determination. Thick skin.
- Willingness to get your hands dirty.
- Willingness to work hard, learn, get as much knowledge as you can.
- Ability to run with challenges, think, and risk making a mistake.
- A respect for nature and land stewardship.
7. Vision, Focus, Determination, and Persistence are absolutely crucial.
All the winemakers we spoke with emphasized the importance of having a vision and the determination for where you want to go and identifying the strengths you have to get you there.
- For example, do you see yourself working in smaller or larger wineries, seeking employment in other countries, settling in a particular wine area, or being flexible and seeing what opportunities come your way?
- Determination to be successful is key. Take initiative and ask for opportunities that increase your knowledge and areas of experience.
- View yourself as an equal with men and hold your ground.
- Demand the respect you deserve.
- ➢To quote one winemaker with whom we spoke, most needed are "enthusiasm, perseverance, and quality (defined as pride in the wines you make)."
8. Do Not Stay Too Long.
It is possible to stay in the same position too long.
- Make sure you're getting valuable work experience.
- If you're bored, ignored, stonewalled, or overlooked for a promotion, it's time to go.
- A fork in the road is difficult to navigate.
- ➢This is an issue on which to seek input. Mentors and members of one's network can be helpful here.
9. Home and Work.
Deciding how best to integrate work and family is a common issue for women and men. It is a normative issue of adult life.
- "Super women" do not exist. One needs to be organized and prepared for choices that need to be made. One has to make choices. No one can "have it all" or "do it all."
- If you are in a romantic relationship, it is crucial to have a supportive partner who understands your work and shares in the day-to-day housework and parenting, should there be children involved. As one prominent winemaker noted, "I could not do what I do without the support of may husband. He fully participated in the rearing of our three children, now all young adults, and equally shares in managing their home life."
- Time with one's partner is often the hardest to make happen and may need to be planned as part of the daily or weekly schedule. In addition, as one winemaker who is a mother of two young children, noted, "Both partners need to think ahead for arranging for babysitters and what that requires!"
- Each family sets its own priorities: one size does not fit all. For example, in some families, one or both partners may make a decision to travel less or not at all when children are small. Other families may use a network of family and/or friends to assist with their children during times of travel.
- You also need a supportive network to assist with family life, especially during crush, when 80-hour workweeks are common.
- Self-care is crucial. Examples mentioned by the winemakers with whom we spoke included setting aside time to be with friends, engaging in regular exercise, arranging for time alone, and, if needed, having a good therapist (!).
10. Roadblocks are always encountered and need to be recognized as such.
A clear theme in the advice we heard is that there are always roadblocks that need to be navigated.
- Do not give up when one is encountered (yes, it can get discouraging).
- Do not be intimidated. "You cannot be a cry baby." You need to persist and not lose focus.
- There is still prejudice and stereotyping. Do not be surprised. As best possible, be prepared to deal with it.
- It is important to stay true to yourself and your vision. If you hit a roadblock, be proactive. Find someone you can talk to. Use your network.
Section III: Characteristics of competent winemakers.
When asked to describe "competent winemakers," there was a good deal of consensus in responses with regard to helpful personal qualities. Twenty characteristics are listed below, although very few, if any, individuals possess ALL these characteristics. Most of the esteemed winemakers with whom we talked thought they possessed about half, although without exception they all described themselves as hard-working and determined, facile at blending science and art, flexible, and self-confident. Confidence was seen as especially important.
Key characteristics that describe successful/competent winemakers include the following (listed in alphabetical order):
- Ability to blend and balance science and art.
- Ability to foster and sustain good relationships with co-workers and peers.
- Analytic abilities.
- Being comfortable knowing that you are in an industry where as a woman you are in the minority.
- Comfort in the cellar and in the vineyard (knowledge of both production and viticulture; getting to know the vineyards takes time).
- Communication and interpersonal skills (important to communicate what needs to be done exactly as instructed and what can be done in your own way).
- Creativity.
- Drive and focus.
- Experience overseas.
- Hard working and determined.
- Integrity and follow-through.
- Managerial skills (good relationship with all staff so know when things are not going well).
- Open to change and flexible when it is needed.
- Organized and detail oriented (wine is fragile).
- Passion for wine.
- Self-confident.
- Strong science background and solid technical training.
- Strong-willed and persistent; ability to stick to your vision.
- "Taste, taste, taste" (yes, a lot of attention is paid to palate).
- Vision/focus for the wine you want to make (for example, particular varietals; whites vs. reds).
Section IV: Additional career advice for young women.
The opportunity structure for wine makers varies with the times. For example, the few women who graduated from UC Davis in the late 1970s entered the field during a time of explosive growth, and this worked in their favor despite obstacles at that time to hiring women. There are more opportunities for today's winemakers in those regions in the U.S and abroad where the wine industry is growing. Below is some specific additional advice.
- Look for positions at new wineries or wineries going through big changes.
- If it fits your interests, the market for consultants is greater now than in the past.
- As a woman, one needs to look at who is in management. If management is all male, there will likely be less opportunity for women.
- Pay attention to the company culture and how well it fits with your values and interests.
- Seek to get an initial job in the quality of winery you want to work as a winemaker in the future. Do not settle for a first job that will not get you where you want to go. For example, you may be offered laboratory positions at several different wineries. Wait for an offer from the kind of winery/organization at which you would like to be a winemaker some day.
- There will be people on your career path who will put you down. Don't let them "get into your head." Stay focused and true to yourself and your goals. As more than one women noted, "Learning to pick yourself up is hugely important."
- Get a recommendation from a person whose opinion matters.
In short, what is needed in becoming a competent winemaker is a science background, a creative mind, a supportive environment at home and work, experience - and a love of wine. All are crucial. A strong work ethic, a desire to learn, and taking initiative are important, as are mentors, loving your work, and being true to your beliefs. Finally, one needs opportunity.
Bonne Chance! Buona Fortuna! Buena Suerta!
We ALL wish you well!
Sincerely,
Lucia and Jack Gilbert
Updated Posting July 2018