Whenever I tell someone I work in wine or have studied it, their first response is “Oh, are you a sommelier?” This makes sense, sommeliers being the important first line of contact with consumers in the on-trade. The ones holding up the pomp attached to the industry. They are the omniscient oenological gods, guiding you through the jargon-filled world of wine.
However, once I respond with “I am a travelling winemaker,” the questions start pouring in. Ours has always been an industry of mystique and opulence, the luxury item from the realm of fermented beverages. From vineyard tours to fine wine auctions, and champagne showers, wine has been wealth’s trusty companion for most of modern winemaking.
So, you think you would be safe to assume that winemaking would be equally as opulent, no?
For some, especially those for which owning wineries is a late-career change investment, it may be. But for the rest of us, the travelling winemakers, the passion chasers, our wealth comes from the experiences we have, the people we meet and the places we go.
Travelling winemakers, also known as vintage/harvest cellar hands, harvest interns or more affectionately, cellar rats. A group of people who travel the globe, often hemisphere-bouncing, working in wine cellars during grape harvest time.
90% Beer, 10% Cleaning – Travelling Winemaker Realities
There is a true saying that “Winemaking is 90% cleaning, 10% Beer”. Here are some of the realities I have experienced as a travelling winemaker:
- Long hours
- The post-harvest muscle gains
- Wine stained clothing
- Oh so much cleaning
- Overtime pay
- Vintage merch
- Large upfront costs for moving countries
- Bugs and more bugs
- Beer and lots of it
- Incredible sunrises and sunsets
- Community
- The opportunity to try incredible wines
- The chance to live in some of the most beautiful parts of the world
The Hard Work
I want this blog to be a place of honesty and transparency. So I won’t lie, the hours are tough and not for everyone. You are at the mercy of the grapes and their harvesting. This is where you need your passion to push you through. My recent harvest in Oregon, USA, highlighted this to me more than ever. Myself and my partner were the only two cellar hands with experience. Everyone else had no cellar experience, wine experience or interest in wine. When the long hours started, people started to crumble without that passion to drive them.
The Hours
For most wineries with longer harvests, you will work 6 days a week, either on day or night shift, between 9-12/13 hours a day for between 4-8 weeks. Your only day off is spent trying to catch up on cooking, laundry and squeezing in a bit of extracurriculars if you have the energy. My harvest in the UK had me working 7 days a week, 12 1/2 hour days for 2-3 weeks.
The Mess
It is sticky. You are constantly covered in grape juice, and wine or showered in nutrient powder. Bug massages will become the new normal. You will finish the harvest with new scratches, scars and holey clothes to prove your participation in the great grape battle.
TOP TIP – Do not start a vintage with any clothes you like or wish to keep. They shall be destroyed. Instead, go down to your local charity shop/thrift store/op shop and buy all the awful t-shirts and warm layers you can find. Also, highly recommend waterproof trousers.
Why do we do it
You are probably reading this from an insider perspective, saying, “nailed it” or from an outsider perspective, “Why do you do it?”.
Follow the Money
Not everyone has the same motivation. For some, it is a great way to earn good money quickly to keep the travel dream going. The overtime pay in English-speaking countries like Australia and the UK means that for any hours over 39/40, you get paid time and a half (1.5). The wineries can include accommodation and 1/2 meals a day depending on location. With such little time to spend the money, the pay adds up quickly during peak harvest. A way to save money for travelling whilst travelling. It helps to fund the next vintage if you are hemisphere-hopping, an essential as the start up costs of the visas, transport and accommodation really adds up.
For the Experience
For others, it is just as much about money as it is about experience. Requirements for winemaker positions now almost always specify the need for a degree. Equally important is the practical experience. That was one of the motivating factors for my year of harvests. Get as much experience as I could, as quickly as I could. As important as cellar work is all year round, harvest is the fun stuff, the passion fueler.
For the Passion
The feeling when the first crate of grapes comes in, excitement and anticipation, to the last, pure accomplishment for yourself and your team. It is electric.
You leave harvest feeling exhausted but strong, those post-harvest gains accentuated by a cheesy group harvest t-shirt. Your mental limits will be tested, and you will learn a lot about yourself. You become a competitor in the day vs. night shift war. Cleaning is now your life. A post-shift beer will never have tasted so good. Lifelong international friends will be made, with whom you will get to visit one day in their home countries. You’ll see more breathtaking sunrises and sunsets than you have ever in your life. Share and swap incredible wines, tips, and stories with other winemakers. Most importantly, you will have the chance to live in some of the most beautiful places in the world and get paid for it.
I hope you have enjoyed reading. In the next few posts, I am going to discuss my specific experience working in the UK, Canada and Australia. Including any visa information and accommodation help. If there is anything you would like me to discuss, please comment below.
Until next time!
G x
