Wine & Spirit Education Trust

Guide to Choosing a Career in the UK Wine and Spirits Industry

Contents
Contents..............................................................................................................................................3 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4 Getting Started....................................................................................................................................4 Qualifications......................................................................................................................................5 Other Courses..............................................................................................................................6 A Career in the Wine and Spirits Industry..........................................................................................7 Wine and Spirit Buyers...............................................................................................................7 Wine and Spirit Marketing Specialist ........................................................................................7 Events Manager .........................................................................................................................7 Off-Trade Retail Jobs..........................................................................................................................7 Wholesalers.................................................................................................................................7 Supermarkets...............................................................................................................................8 On-Trade Hospitality Jobs..................................................................................................................8 Pubs, Restaurants, Bars and Hotels.............................................................................................8 Bar Staff......................................................................................................................................8 Sommeliers.................................................................................................................................8 Administration............................................................................................................................8 Winery Based Jobs..............................................................................................................................9 Viticulturist.................................................................................................................................9 Vineyard Manager......................................................................................................................9 Grape Picker................................................................................................................................9 Winemaker/Oenologists..............................................................................................................9 Cellar Technician........................................................................................................................9 Cellar Hand.................................................................................................................................9 Lab Technician............................................................................................................................9 Appendix 1........................................................................................................................................10 Recruitment Agencies and Job Websites..................................................................................10 Appendix 2........................................................................................................................................11 Training & Wine and Spirit Information..................................................................................11 Appendix 3........................................................................................................................................12 Generic Bodies..........................................................................................................................12

Introduction
The wine and spirits industry is defined as the production, commercialisation and education concerning wine and spirits. The wine and spirits industry encompasses a vast number of outlets such as wine merchants, off-licences, supermarkets and importers, hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs. Anywhere that wine and spirits are sold could be considered to be part of the wine and spirits industry. The wine and spirits industry can be a lot of hard work, long and sometimes unsociable hours; it is not all about tasting wine and jet-setting around the globe, although some jobs do. It is foremost a commerce against a background of wine and spirits, rather than the other way around. The industry only survives by selling its wares with reasonable profit. A love of wine and spirits is an asset, although many people accidentally find themselves in this industry, through job availability rather than the industry. Therefore do keep in mind that some people attain the experience required in other industries to be able to have a better chance in the fierce competition that is found in the wine and spirits industry. The public image of the wine and spirits industry tends to focus more on the role of a wine/spirits buyer, but in fact it could not survive without the other jobs of production, distribution, marketing, sales and administration. There are very few buyers, and so if a vacancy arises the competition is fierce. However, as with any business, there are plenty of other important roles that need to be performed. This booklet contains the main sources of information that can help to form a career in the wine and spirits industry. Ranging from job descriptions and salaries, to recruitment agencies, qualification opportunities and useful contacts.

Getting Started
Competition is fierce with a few large firms dominating the industry. The result is that margins are tight and all companies are looking for ways to keep costs low. With a large number of people wanting to join the industry, salaries tend not to be generous. On the other hand, most members of the industry find it a satisfying field in which to work.

Use your own contacts family or friends who work in the wine and spirits industry may learn of suitable opportunities for you to follow up. Look through national and local newspapers for job advertisements. Do not forget industry journals (see Useful Addresses Section), as these have a specialised readership; companies tend to advertise in these publications first. Try your local careers office or Job Centre; they will know of vacancies locally. Write to the personnel officer of the firms listed in the industry directories. Such as Harpers Wine & Spirit Directory, Wine Business yearly Wine Industry Directory, also the GWS Trade Directory; visit www.globalwinespirits.com/trade-directory-en.jsa, these directories can be found at major local reference libraries, or purchased form the publishers (see Useful Addresses Section). Approaching a local off-licence, pub or restaurant is often a useful way of getting into the industry. Extra staff are often needed in the summer and, especially, at Christmas. The experience will put you in good stead, you can learn the basics, and the managers recommendation will carry weight if you later apply for a permanent job with the firm.

Qualifications
Previous academic attainments may influence your future progress and the level of your role, as may previous experience in other fields. With jobs available at all levels, entry requirements will vary, and certain jobs require specific skills. If you are trying to negotiate with suppliers, languages might be essential; clearly a delivery driver or salesperson working in the field will need a clean driving licence; credit controllers might need a background in accounting, or be computer literate. On the other hand a job in retailing is less dependent on formal qualifications. Enthusiasm, personality and the ability to work well with the general public are more important. Numeracy is, of course, vital. The wine and spirits industry also has its own qualifications. Many companies will put their staff through the relevant qualifications but many people also choose to sponsor themselves through the courses. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), offer a range of qualifications enhancing knowledge of the ever-increasing variety of wines and spirits being produced around the world. The WSET courses are available around the globe through a network of Approved Programme Providers (APPs) (visit www.wsetglobal.com). These WSET Awards are formally recognised by the UK Government, and have a strong reputation worldwide because of their wide-ranging coverage of the subject. The WSET Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Wines is an entry level qualification providing a straightforward introduction to wine. It provides basic product knowledge to first time employees to the wine industry and the interested consumer alike.

The WSET Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Spirits is an entry level qualification providing a straightforward introduction to spirits. It aims to provide the basic product knowledge and skills in service and marketing of spirits to prepare a person for their first job in hospitality or the spirit industry

The WSET Level 1 Award in Service builds on the knowledge and skills developed in the WSET Foundation Certificate in Wines, and shows how these can be used in the workplace. The course is also suitable for people already employed in the hospitality industry who wish to be introduced in a structured way to wine service in a restaurant setting.

The WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits This qualification covers the main styles of wine produced and the production of spirits and liqueurs. It provides vocational training in the broad range of alcoholic beverages to underpin job skills and competencies in the customer service and sales functions of the hospitality, retail and wholesale industries. The WSET Level 2 Professional Certificate in Spirits has been designed to provide in-depth knowledge of Brandy, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Vodka, Whiskies and Liqueurs. It provides a basic level of product knowledge of spirits and liqueurs to underpin job skills and competencies in the customer service and sales functions of the hospitality, retail, wholesale and spirits industries.

The WSET Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits provides core knowledge of the wide range of wines and spirits around the world to equip those in a supervisory capacity with the authority and confidence to make informed decisions in a wide variety of industry situations.

The WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits is designed to give specialist knowledge of the principal wines and spirits of the world combined with commercial factors and a thorough system for the professional evaluation of wines and spirits. The Diploma is viewed universally as the stepping-stone to the Master of Wine qualification. It is aimed at people that are employed in the wines and spirits industry and are required to make managerial decisions, interpret information and have a thorough understanding of market trends and requirements. The WSET Level 5 Honours Diploma in Wines and Spirits is an individual research project that enables students to develop skills in research, evaluation and analysis in a wine and spirit related subject of their choice. This qualification is open to anyone holding the WSET Level 4 Diploma.

More information on the WSET courses can be found at www.wsetglobal.com

Other Courses
Bordeaux International Wine Institute, Wine Marketing and Management www.wine-institute.com British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body (BIIAB) Offering qualifications specific to licensed retail sectors http://biiab.bii.org/qualifications City and Guilds Offering qualifications in Hospitality and Catering, specifically in Bartending (Cocktails), and Retail www.cityandguilds.com Hospitality Training Foundation Offering qualifications, young apprenticeships and diplomas in Hospitality www.people1st.co.uk Institute of Masters of Wine Education Programme is a qualification as well as a title; there are only around 270 MWs in the world so it does require discipline and motivation to keep up with the level of study required. www.mastersofwine.org IPBartenders Innovative bartender training in mixology www.ipbartenders.com National Retail Federation Foundation (NRF) Offering certification in Sales and Retail Management www.nrffoundation.com National Skills Academy Hospitality Offering skills in Customer Service, Chefs, Leadership and Management programmes. www.excellencefound.co.uk Plumpton College Wine Business and Wine Production www.plumpton.ac.uk Royal Agricultural College, MBA in Wine Business Management www.royagcol.ac.uk/?_id=3036 Shaker School A bar school offering practical and theoretical bar training www.shaker-uk.com

A Career in the Wine and Spirits Industry

Wine and Spirit Buyers
This is a job that requires hard work and long hours, mostly negotiating deals or sorting out distribution problems. A good buyer will be able to find the right wines and spirits for the market and invest in them, knowing how much of what to buy and when. Buyers have to follow the market and be able to predict trends but more importantly, be fully aware of the way in which the industry works. They are responsible for keeping track of stock levels, importation, warehousing and quality control. In smaller firms, buyers tend to undertake a greater variety of tasks with less support, perhaps having sole responsibility for imported wines. In larger firms there may be a team of buyers, each with their own area of expertise. Buyers spend most of their time in their own country, some visit wine and spirit producing areas but this can vary. Competition is fierce and even in large companies there are usually only a few buyers. Would-be wine buyers should gain experience by retailing in shops and pubs, selling on the road to hotels and restaurants and developing business skills, particularly accounting and marketing. Numeracy and communication skills are essential, languages are desired.

Wine and Spirit Marketing Specialist

This is a crucial component to any wine and spirit company. Companies may prefer candidates that have a bachelor's degree with a focus in marketing (even better, in wine marketing) and previous experience in the wine industry, or who have come from a marketing background (Chartered Institute of Marketing www.cim.co.uk). This position will greatly vary in pay by the size of company and can involve overseeing promotion material from concept to delivery, website management, creating marketing campaigns which will increase company profits and raise brand awareness.

Events Manager
Another important position for the marketing side of the wine and spirit business is the events coordinator. This position is responsible for organizing events to market the brands in the company's portfolio, such as off-site tastings, trade and consumer exhibitions and shows. The events coordinator must work closely with the marketing department to identify the best events to participate in to market the wine or spirit brand, such as regional or national trade events.

Off-Trade Retail Jobs

The ability to work long and sometimes unsocial hours is essential, especially around Christmas when the industry is at its busiest. Personality and enthusiasm are essential, as is the ability to motivate staff, many of whom will be part time, for managerial roles include organising day to day staffing, maintaining stock levels (ordering and receiving goods), controlling stock losses and theft, and promotion of the shop locally amongst other businesses, as well as dealing with the public. The best managers salaries are reasonable; but, as in all retailing, pay can be less at lower levels. Having acquired the necessary managerial skills the logical career move is through the company field management structure, from branch manager, to stock taker, to area manager, and so on to regional manager. Other people move to head office to take up positions in administration, marketing or public relations, or even move into the buying department. Progression does happen but it tends to be slow. Following this route involvement with the product becomes less as time goes on as administration becomes a larger part of the job.

Wholesalers
On the wholesale side, sales personnel fall into two groups. Telesales is office based and involves speaking to regular customers to take their orders. Field sales involves visiting customers; retail shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels and wine bars, however timing can be critical. Getting to know the customers is vital. A wholesalers portfolio can contain a range of wines and spirits, from inexpensive large sizes for pubs, to the finest of wines sold through exclusive store and hotels. Sales staff need to be able to communicate with a whole range of different buyers in order to succeed.

Supermarkets
Wine and spirits are major commodities in the fast moving consumer goods industry. Often advertisements for sales staff, or accounts managers, will state a requirement for a background in FMCG sales, which can be gained through sales of other products. Supermarket chains are now the biggest wine retailers and the major ones have specialist beers, wines and spirits staff.

On-Trade Hospitality Jobs

Pubs, Restaurants, Bars and Hotels
Publicans are either, managers, tenants or owners of public houses. Managers work for a brewery; tenants rent the premises from a company and keep the profits. Where the premises are owned by breweries the tenant has to buy beer and usually wines and spirits from that brewery. Tenants in an individually owned free house can buy from any brewery. Six out of ten publicans are self employed. It is essential to be well informed about licensing laws; these can be found on the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) website (www.bii.org), you must have a license to serve alcohol. The office side of the publicans job ranges from managing stock, to banking the takings. No specific qualifications are required but good mental arithmetic; marketing and accountancy are useful for managerial roles.

Bar Staff
This job used to be about serving pints and a few shorts, but today bar staff have to be able to mix cocktails, serve hot food and make fresh coffee. As customers have become more sophisticated in their drinking habits, bars have expanded their range of services. The person with responsibility for the cellar has to organise the storage of supplies. Moving beer barrels is heavy work; the barrels need changing regularly and have to be kept at the correct temperature and paperwork has to be brought up to date for deliveries and orders. These jobs are usually at unsociable hours.

Sommeliers
Sommeliers are trained and knowledgeable wine professionals, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specialize in all aspects of wine and spirits service as well as wine and food matching. There are qualifications that you can take at The Court of Master Sommeliers (web:www.mastersommeliers.org). This institution was established to encourage improved standards of beverage knowledge and service in hotels and restaurants. A Master Sommelier exhibits financial expertise as it relates to a restaurants beverage program development and has an extensive and global knowledge of wine theory and history at his or her fingertips.

Administration
Wine buying is seen by many outsiders to be the pinnacle of the wine and spirits industry, but without the sales and distribution systems, administrators and finance, the buyers would be out of work.

Winery Based Jobs

Viticulturist
This profession requires qualifications that are specific to viticulture; the science, and study of growing grapes for wine production. Viticulturists are often intimately involved with winemakers, because vineyard management and the resulting grape characteristics, provide the basis from which winemaking can begin. Duties of the viticulturist include: monitoring and controlling pests and diseases, fertilizing, irrigation, canopy management, monitoring fruit development and characteristics, deciding when to harvest and vine pruning during the winter months.

Vineyard Manager
They are generally in charge of the entire grape growing process. Specifically, the vineyard manager is in charge of supervising employees (harvest and other seasonal help), and business (or rather vineyard) planning throughout the year. Further, this vineyard job has budget responsibilities in accordance to the vineyard; Finally, don't forget about the viticulture responsibilities, such as monitoring the health of the grapes, recommending best practices for viticulture, and maintaining records for the vine performance. This is not an entry level position in the wine industry. In fact it is usually required to have formal training in viticulture management or 5-10 years comparable experience in vineyard management and the ability to show communication and leadership skills. This position will require an educational background of at least a Bachelor's degree in Viticulture or a related field.

Grape Picker
Grape picking may sound romantic, but the reality is quite different; the hours are long; you need to be fit to work hard; accommodation may be basic and often during bad weather only those hours worked will be paid. The decreasing need for manual labour, owing to mechanisation, together with the regular army of seasonal workers being swelled by the growing numbers of unemployed, has led to increased competition for these jobs. Despite this the grape harvest can provide an enjoyable working holiday, as you toil away alongside the locals and workers from all over the world.

Winemaker/Oenologists
Oenology is the science and study of wine and winemaking this profession requires a lot of scientific knowledge, as a lot of the traditional methods are being replaced or supplemented with laboratory tests, a qualification in Viticulture and Oenology would be a definite advantage. They have to work with viticulturists, consistently testing, tasting, blending and monitoring every process; from grape to wine.

Cellar Technician
Cellar Technicians in the winery install and maintain equipment that is used to create wine. They need to be physically fit and alert to health and safety and hygiene issues. The job usually includes planning and carrying out installations, carrying out maintenance, fault-finding and repair work.

Cellar Hand
This is a way to truly work your way up, starting as a cellar hand is a respectable beginning to a career in the wine industry. This position focuses on the technical and scientific part of winemaking. Some of the responsibilities include racking, clarifying and blending of the wine; monitoring the temperature of the wine tanks; keeping inventory of the cellar supplies; and maintaining the sanitation of the wine storage tanks. In the Northern Hemisphere (Europe and Northern America) the harvest takes place from August to October. In the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa) the harvest usually takes place from February to April.

Lab Technician
Laboratory technicians carry out routine laboratory tests and perform a variety of technical support functions to help the winemakers.

Appendix 1
Recruitment Agencies and Job Websites
Bar Zone www.barzone.co.uk Chin Chin Jobs www.chinchinjobs.com Grape Picking in France www.apcon.nl Harpers Job Board www.harpers.co.uk/jobs/ Jobs for Wine (USA) www.jobsforwine.com Just-drinks www.just-drinks.com/jobs/ Leo and Bell Consultancy www.leobell.co.uk Match Consultants www.matchconsultants.com Part & Company www.partandcompany.com Pilkington Webster www.pilkypartners.co.uk Sommeliers www.sommeliers.co.uk The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) job board www.wsetglobal.com/global_campus/iws_home_page/91.asp UK Wine Jobs www.ukwinejobs.com Vino Jobs (Worldwide) www.vinojobs.com Wine and Spirit Jobs (USA) www.wineandspiritsjobs.com Wine Industry Jobs (Australia and New Zealand) www.wineindustryjobs.com.au Wine Jobs (USA) www.winejobs.com Wine Jobs Online (New Zealand) www.winejobsonline.com

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Appendix 2
Training & Wine and Spirit Information
Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers www.almr.org.uk The British Beer and Pub Association (BLPA) www.beerandpub.com British Hospitality Association www.bha.org.uk The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), www.bii.org The Court of Master Sommeliers www.mastersommeliers.org The Drinks Business www.thedrinksbusiness.com Federation of Licensed Victuallers Association www.flva.co.uk Harpers Wine and Spirit Magazine www.harpers.co.uk The Hospitality Training Foundation www.htf.org.uk Just Drinks.com www.just-drinks.com Morning Advertiser www.morningadvertiser.co.uk Off Licence News www.offlicencenews.co.uk The Wine & Spirit Education Trust www.wsetglobal.com

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Appendix 3
Generic Bodies
Argentina Wines of Argentina www.winesofargentina.org Australia Australian Wine Bureau / Wine Australia www.wineaustralia.com/uk Austria Wines from Austria www.winesfromaustria.com Chile Wines of Chile www.winesofchile.org/ Cyprus Wines from Cyprus www.winesfromcyprus.co.uk/ France Alsace www.vinsalsace.com BNIA - Armagnac www.armagnac.fr/ CIVC Champagne Information Bureau www.champagne-civc.co.uk CIVB - Bordeaux www.bordeaux.com Cognac (BNIC) www.Cognac.fr Inter-Rhne www.inter-rhone.com/ Loire www.vinsdeloire.eu South of France www.vindepaysdoc.com www.suddefrancewines.com www.languedoc-wines.com www.coteaux-languedoc.com Germany Wines of Germany www.winesofgermany.co.uk Greece Wines from Greece www.winesfromgreece.com

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Italy www.italianmade.com Chianti Classic www.chianticlassico.com Prosecco www.prosecco.it New Zealand New Zealand Winegrowers Ltd www.nzwine.com Portugal Port Institute www.ivdp.pt South Africa Wines of South Africa www.wosa.co.za/uk Spain Wines from Spain www.winesfromspainuk.com Wines of Rioja www.winesfromrioja.co.uk UK English Wine Producers www.englishwineproducers.com USA Wine Institute of California www.wineinstitute.org www.california-wines.org Spirit Information Scotch Whisky Association www.scotch-whisky.org.uk Brown-Forman www.brown-forman.com/ Diageo www.diageo.com/ Pernod Ricard www.pernod-ricard-usa.com/

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