californian adventure

[rmack]

Hello

I just found this fantastic forum and spent about 2 hours going through as many posts as I could. Very interesting indeed.

I have a query that hopfully some of you may be able to help me with. I'm studying a business degree in Sydney at the moment, and it finishes in June this year. I've been offered a graduate position at Deloitte (international professional services firm), but the start date isn't until May 2010. This gives me 11 months to keep myself busy with. Eventually I want to combine my business education with my passion for wine, but at the moment my experience in the wine field is very limited.

To remedy this I've decided that I want to get my hands dirty and work on a couple of vintages as a cellar hand. The period that I have free (July 2009 to May 2010) is enough to fit in a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere vintage. So finally here's the question - does anyone have any advice as to how I should approach trying to find work on a Californian vineyard or winery to assist with the 2009 vintage? If someone can speak from personal experience that'd be fantastic.

Thanks very much!

Rob.

[KMP]

Can't speak from actual personal experience but I do know from one winemaker in California that labor was not easy to find in the last couple of vintages. But the downturn in the economy could correct that. Obviously prior experience would be helpful - do you want to work in the vineyard, winery, tasting room, etc. I would start contacting wineries here in California now to learn what might be available come the summer.

For the US you could look at Winejobs.com although these are probably longer term positions than you want.

Mike