If you work in the industry, you may approach vintage experience as an interactive course on how the product you sell is made. Jeremy Gruber, Cellar Lead at Hamel Family Wines What are the benefits of a harvest internship?īesides saving on a gym membership, you will leave with new skills and experiences that may be applied to any job, whether you decide to stay in the cellar, move elsewhere in the wine industry, or move on to another sector. Ask what the unique perks and benefits are, besides your normal compensation." Ask whether there are opportunities to learn from the full-time winemaking team. Pro-tip: "Before committing anywhere, it's important that you have a strong understanding of what your responsibilities will be. Other post-fermentation tasks included topping up barrels, lees stirring, and racking – a clarification process performed several times to eliminate unwanted lees and sediment.
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Once a tank completed fermentation, the free run juice was removed from the tank, and interns dug the remaining pomace (the solid remains of the grapes left after pressing) out. This is a crucial assignment to identify whether an addition, an increase or decrease in temperature, or vessel change was necessary. As an intern, you may also be tasked with taking samples from each tank and barrel to measure the Brix and temperature level. Others managed the press or worked on punch downs and pump-overs at set intervals throughout the day. Sorting through a block of Chardonnay grapes before loading them onto the press. We sorted through the clusters as they were dumped onto a conveyor belt that carried the grapes to a destemmer.Ĭurious to discover more about the basics of grape growing? Our internationally recognised Level 1 Award in Wines will give you the foundation of knowledge to begin your journey in wine. Once picking began, some of my fellow interns and I assisted with processing the incoming batches of grapes. During the first few weeks, a typical day was spent cleaning equipment, taking samples from the vineyards, and ensuring that all tools worked properly.
Or, typically at wineries with smaller teams, you may take on more varied responsibilities, as was the case at the small winery where I completed my internship, Three Sticks Wines.ĭays began around 6am. Depending on the winery team and production size, as a harvest intern, you may be assigned to repeat the same job every day, such as measuring the Brix (sugar content) of every tank. There are multiple phases and tasks involved in the whole process of winemaking. What is a typical day like as a harvest intern?
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Rafaella and a colleague performing manual punch downs to break through the cap forming at the top. "Heavy machinery is being used, CO2 is being produced by yeast and displacing oxygen, and interns are working together, but also independently." "Winemaking can be dangerous if the proper protocols are not followed," Jeremy Gruber, the Cellar Lead at Hamel Family Wines, states. What came next? Well, everything I envisioned minus the overalls! Safety firstīefore we could do anything else, all interns had to complete a thorough safety precaution training process. In July 2020, I left my home, friends, family, and a stable job in Chicago - in the middle of a global pandemic - to live in Sonoma, California and fulfil my dream of frolicking through the vines in overalls tasting grapes, and making wine. Our conversation lasted almost two hours – they were completely honest about the backbreaking work involved but also about the pride and euphoric joy that comes along with it. Then I met Ali Huerta and Jeremy Gruber, who between them had worked seven harvest internships in California and New Zealand. My first experience working in the wine industry was the exact opposite of my previous office job - it was sticky, dirty, and simply electric! My story in wine begins in January 2020 as I left my WSET Level 1 Award in Wines exam feeling confident and hungry for more. Rafaella shares the day-to-day challenges and benefits of a harvest internship, as well as tips for anyone considering applying to work a vintage. Before joining WSET Americas, Account Development Coordinator Rafaella De La Vega made the leap from the corporate tech world into the wine industry by signing up to work the 2020 harvest in Sonoma, California.
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