Tasting Room "volunteer" policy

What’s the norm for tasting room volunteers? (as compared to titular employees)

Structured training?

Compensation with product ?

Compensation with discounts?

Assuming you mean for the occasional special event when you need to staff up?

Usually done for wine. They would get std hourly rate towards wine at employee price.

Generally when I’ve done this the person is at a particular table with a wine and maybe food. So they’d just need very basic knowledge of the winery and that wine (maybe a wine tech sheet). Plus basic food safety tips.

Thanks,

Around here in Santa Clara Valley, its been our impression that there were quite often volunteers assisting in tasting rooms at smaller wineries.
Perhaps not the norm elsewhere or with larger.

I appreciate concerns of liability expressed elsewhere. We were not planning to have a “paid staff” at all, but rather to only hire ad hoc temporary help for harvest. I’ll have to research issues.

around Sonoma Valley (and i’m sure other places too) there are a number of people who work in Tasting Rooms a couple of days a week for wine. they’re off the books and are paid as Bob described (hourly rate toward employee cost on wine).

for the most part, they’re fairly knowledgeable about wine in general, though they may not rise to the level of geekdom found on this board [berserker.gif]

Like you said, the liability issue plus any labor laws to do with unpaid workers.
You have to think about having folks not working for you responsible for handling your money and checking ID’s besides them potentially getting hurt (like throwing out a back lifting wine) or them having a part in an injury to a guest (like someone slipping and falling while on a tour).
Another option (that will cost you money) is use a staffing agency. This should cover any of the liability issues.

Did some events (Winter Wineland, Barrel Tasting Weekend and Passport) for a Dry Creek winery a few years back and recieved a choice of 6btls per day worked (retail from $14 to $32). Another friend who has worked events has been paid a dollar amount credit toward the wineries wines to be purchased at 40% discount on retail. I have also done volenteer bottling and paid 2btls plus an awsome lunch per day.