Wine is the French terroir par excellence. Whether dry, sweet, still, sparkling, red, rosé, white… it fully represents France’s heritage and the beauty of our regions. France is the world’s third-largest wine producer in terms of volume, but still number one in terms of value. As a result, it employs a large number of enthusiasts in a wide variety of professions essential to the production and marketing of this elixir of the gods.

If you’re passionate about the wine industry, and maybe even want to work in it, you’ve come to the right place!

The winemaker

You won’t have missed it: when we talk about wine, we think first and foremost of the winemaker! To be precise, we’re not talking here about the winemaker as a single profession, but about all the different jobs that interact directly with the vines: vineyard worker, tractor worker, vineyard manager, caviste (in the sense of winemaker at the château), maître de chai and oenologue (in the sense of supervisor of the winemaking and ageing stages).

So many different professions are essential to wine production and bottling. While the farm workers, tractor operators and vineyard manager work directly on the vines, raising, treating, caring for and finally harvesting them, the cellar master, cellar master and oenologist specialize in vinification and maturing the wine once the grapes have been harvested.

These are jobs where you have your hands full, from tending the vines to processing and bottling the wine… Generally speaking, passionate winegrowers are involved in everything on the estate, from planting the vines to marketing the bottles!

The oenologist

The oenologist is the expert, the wine scientist. His job is to study wine in order to acquire as much technical and scientific knowledge as possible about the medium. Its role is also to disseminate this knowledge and advise people on the subject. Oenologists are often hired by winegrowers to advise them on vinification and ageing. They can also work in laboratories, research centers or companies (marketplace requiring a consultant, for example).

The oenologist must have a particularly well-developed sense of taste and smell to be able to recognize and describe wines simply by smelling them, or by briefly dipping their lips into them. In addition to these often innate skills, which can nevertheless be nurtured, the oenologist must also have a thirst for knowledge, and be committed to collaboration and sharing with other professionals in the field (winemakers, sommeliers, exporters…).

The sommelier

The sommelier is the wine expert in the hotel or restaurant business. They are responsible for advising customers on which wine to choose, whether by the glass or bottle, to pair with a dish or to drink on its own. He is the opposite of the oenologist in that he is in direct contact with customers and is trained to serve them throughout his training (and the many sommelier competitions he may take part in).

Like the oenologist, the sommelier must have a highly developed technical, scientific and practical knowledge of wines, to be able to best guide customers in their choice. In addition, as a waiter, you need to be presentable, well-mannered and a good negotiator to satisfy your customers. It’s best to be able to speak several languages, so you can communicate with as many people as possible.

The cellarman

The caviste is certainlywine expert closest to the average customer. He manages a wine cellar, and is therefore on the front line when it comes to wine lovers and the curious who come to shop in wine cellars. The wine merchant must be a good salesman, versatile, who knows how to transmit his passion to the customer and make him want to buy the best labels in the store! He also needs to be a good teacher, so as not to patronize amateurs.

The perfect caviste needs to be highly versatile, combining technical and scientific skills (knowledge of wine, keen taster) with the ability to welcome customers and sell his or her passion (commercial skills and good salesmanship).

The salesman

The wine salesperson does the same job as a conventional salesperson, except that he or she specializes in wine. He usually works with restaurants, wholesalers and large corporations, supplying them with wine, or buying from them, on behalf of his company.

He or she must be commercially minded, speak several languages and know his or her subject inside out, so as to be able to get the best bottles at the best prices and make the best deals.

The cooper

A separate profession, the cooper refers to the person who makes the barrels ^^.

It’s a nod to the craftsmen who have been perpetuating their skills since the Middle Ages. For centuries, these craftsmen have been making and repairing the wooden barrels in which wines are stored to age.

The vine and wine lawyer

The latter is simply trained as a wine expert, on the legislative aspect. They are employed either by producers or by other private establishments that resell wines. It can be called upon in the event of disputes, or to label cuvées and legally protect wines.

In today’s globalized world, the legal specialist needs to have both French and foreign legal knowledge, particularly of wine labels and regulations.

Photo : Adobe Stock – izikmd