Harvest Internship Advice

Hi all pimps and hos! Was hoping to get a little advice on getting a harvest internship.

I’m looking to work at a winery in CA this upcoming, 2012, harvest.
How does one go about this, exactly?
Should I just send resume and cover letter as one would with any other job?
Would I expect this to be a month and a half job or a four month job?
Should I expect to work for free (which I’m totally fine with after having done many stages at different restaurants) or is compensation the norm, whether in terms of cold hard cash or perhaps room and board?
I’m most likely going to apply to places in Sonoma, and hopefully RRV or Sonoma Coast. Not that any other places in California don’t interest me, it’s just that I used to work at Cyrus in Healdsburg, and so I know that section of the state and industry better than I know any others.

I know that each winery obviously has their own way of going about doing this, but is there any general advice one can give me? I don’t even know if this is too early or too late to start applying. I was going to start last September and then thought “well, those guys are probably just a tad bit busy this time of year… better wait.” I just want to get it figured out quickly, as I’d like to give my employer as much possible notice as I can, although I’ve already told them (and been approved) that I was going to apply for harvest internships.

Thanks in advance!

D’oh! First mistake… posting this in wine pimps instead of cellar rats. If a mod could move it, that’d be much appreciated.

Kyle,

In my experience I’ve found the application process to most wineries to be pretty casual; obviously there are exceptions with bigger/more corporate entities, but a well-written email/cover letter that expresses some enthusiasm seems to go a long way to opening up a lot of doors. I would definitely expect to be paid…larger wineries will sometimes throw room and board in as well. I think between $10-14/hr is pretty common for interns. I can’t speak to the duration of the internship, as that seems to be all over the map. I would generally expect at least two months though. I think you are ahead of the curve with timing, it seems like most on-the-ball wineries start advertising for jobs in late winter, and you’ll see postings up through the end of August. A good site to keep your eye on is winejobs.com … but you can also see some good jobs come up at the UC Davis job site Venjobs Beta.

Keep me posted if you have a hard time coming up with something…I’ll keep me ears open for possibilities.

Zach

Thanks Zach. I figured most would be pretty casual, or at least at the smaller, family-owned wineries that I’m most interested in. I also think I’m a little ahead of the curve with timing. I had been looking at WineJobs and Venjobs Beta the last week or so, and saw so few positions for this year’s harvest that I assumed I must have been looking early, which is a good thing IMO.

Thanks for the offer to keep your ears open. If I don’t hear anything back in a few weeks or months, I will definitely hit you up. Appreciate it!

Kyle

You WILL get paid. Don’t take any non-payment internships, and the lowest rate you would normally be given for someone with no experience is $12/hr… some wineries will offer salary - refuse. You ain’t doin a stage at The Laundry… and internships can last anywhere from 1 to 5 months depending on the winery. (Interesting to note - I was originally hired to be one of the opening cooks at Cyrus - but decided to go the winemaking route instead after working a harvest).

You will see internship postings in the spring on winejobs, venjobs, what-have-you. Sonoma County wineries are still, for the most part, family owned (save for the big boys). Sonoma Coast / RRV area wineries would have relatively short harvest, just focusing on Chard, Pinot, and a little Syrah… the Syrah could allow you to stay on for a little bit - but for the most part expect to be hunting again by late October. If you’re wanting a little longer internship - you will more than likely have to go big, and that means going corporate. The plus to working at a corporate owned winery is the training is far better in how to operate in a cellar, exposed to more winemaking equipment, and the drilling into your skull of winery safety (which is mundane, yet incredibly important during harvest).

Smaller, family owned wineries offer the most down to earth, honest to goodness winemaking experience you could ever ask for. It’s what stories are written about, and fondly retold.

Go big, go small. Each one will offer a completely different experience. If you do a small winery this year, work a big one the next.

Awesome, thanks John. Small world re: Cyrus!

Hi. We hire 1-2 interns a year. Depending on Mother Nature they start around 9/1 and work harvest and winemaking until 10/30. We pay $10/hour. We have an Intern Hut- 399 square foot trailer you can bumk in. Our website is www.clospepe.com. If interested, send Wes an email at wes@clospepe.com.

Thanks Stephen!

Internship at Clos Pepe would be sweet - you should look at that. I bunked in an RV at my winery in 2006 and it was pretty damn fun.

Working with Wes and getting first hand knowledge of the vineyard AND the cellar is about as good as it gets in California.

I could only imagine! Email has been sent. And now a glass of wine to settle the nerves!

I would find the winemaker/winery that excites/interests you the most, then reach out to them directly. Never take salary, and ask a lot of questions – so you know what you are getting into.

Well this thread turned out awesome. This year I’ll be joining the team at Clos Pepe! Thanks for replying, Stephen!

Congrats! That will be quite an experience. Best of luck with it!

good luck Kyle! I hope you get everything out of your first vintage you are hoping for. check some past posts on this forum for advice on what to expect and ways you can prepare as well… and what you can do after your internship ends.

Thanks, gentlemen. Yeah, I definitely need to whip this old boy into shape before I go out there. I couldn’t find much through a search… you have any links for threads about internships?

Kyle,

Try this: https://wineimport.discoursehosting.net/t/50-useful-tips-for-new-harvest-interns-plus-link-to-50-openings-for-2010/16678/1

It offers great advice for first harvest interns.

Kyle:

I live in Healdsburg and used to manage Barndiva & own and operate a brand here in town. Contact me anytime if you are needing direction or advice.

Thomas

Thomas, thanks a lot, I appreciate that. And btw Barndiva is awesome!

Cool thread. For the first time I might be seeking an intern this harvest, but will wait until bloom to start a search.