WEEK     JOB: WINEMAKER

LOCATION: YAKIMA VALLEY, WASHINGTON

EMPLOYER: TWO MOUNTAIN WINERY

WAGE: $96,000 YEAR [Source: Wine Business Monthly’s Salary Survey Report 2008]

Two Mountain Winery is located in the Yakima Valley wine region, where there are more than sixty wineries.

JOB DESCRIPTION: The owners/brothers, Pat and Matt, taught me about the many duties of a small winery, such as managing the “topping” process, testing the sulfite levels in the wine, and tasting to figure out blends for this year’s fresh pick.

INDUSTRY IQ:

• Grapes are the world’s number one fruit crop, with 20 million acres planted worldwide.

• Crushing wine grapes with your feet is very effective, as it doesn’t crush the grape’s seed which can release bitter flavors. However, today all commercial wine making has been mechanized.

• The wine industry generates more than 145,000 jobs in California alone.

WHAT I LEARNED: During harvest time, Matt told me, it’s not unusual for them to work eighteen-hour days. When I was there, it was the time of year when they taste previous vintages and compare them to see how they’re aging. On a table, we lined up several varieties from the previous four years and went to work. It was a lot of information to absorb, though my liver handled it considerably well.