Vineyard Manager

A vineyard isn’t your average office. Instead of fluorescent lights, Vineyard Managers have sunshine. Instead of stale cubicles, Vineyard Managers have rows of fresh grapes. And instead of a water cooler? They’ve got wine!

If it sounds like the workplace of your dreams, the job of a Vineyard Manager might be a perfect fit for you.

When you’re a Vineyard Manager, you’re the boss (although not necessarily the owner). In charge of all the operations at a vineyard — where grapes are grown, picked and turned into wine — you’re responsible for managing people, money and grapes.

The first part, people, requires supervising and training employees, including seasonal labor and equipment operators. The second part, money, requires creating a business plan for the vineyard, as well as a budget for materials, equipment, vines and labor. The final part, grapes, is where you really shine. Either by yourself or in collaboration with a Viticulturist — someone who cultivates grapes — you’re in charge of making sure you grows the best grapes possible, which means making strategic decisions about soil, fertilization, pest control, pruning and, of course, harvest.

Because there’s so much to manage, you also serve as the vineyard’s chief record-keeper. You keep track of grape production, for instance, and fruit development, as well as schedules for labor, spraying, watering, fertilization and harvesting.

During summers, you host vineyard tours for wine drinkers, distributors and retailers. During winters, meanwhile, you assist in winemaking. All year round, though, you grow your business — just like you grow your grapes.