Hey folks. I’ve been lurking here for some time, but have never posted. This is the best place I can think of to seek some career advice from a number of individuals who have made it farther down the line in this industry than I have.
Anyhow, long story short, I didn’t realize that winemaking was what I wanted to do for a living until after I graduated college and began helping out a family friend who is a grower near my hometown - this would be the 2010 harvest. After that I went to the Mosel Valley and worked in the vineyard/cellar for a few months and went to Virginia last fall as an intern. I’m heading to New Zealand shortly to do the harvest there. I’m hoping to go to France in the fall - I have a friend who works in the industry in Languedoc who is helping me try and find a place. My plan has basically been to work internships North/South/North/South (hemisphere) for a few years and then begin to try to get hired on somewhere in California.
I like to read the ads on winejobs.com just to keep aware of what the availability and conditions seem to be, and whats been preying on my mind recently is whether, after 3 or so years of working back-to-back harvests, I will be able to get a job without a degree? I try to study enology texts on my own, but I’ve already got two degrees and in a way would be reluctant to committing the time to getting another if it wasn’t important. Cost is also a worry - Davis is expensive and I doubt how much financial aid would be forthcoming for a 25 year-old who already has a degree.
So my question for you world-wise ladies and gentlemen is “in the current state of things, how important is an enology degree to seeking a career as a winemaker?” I’ll be delighted to hear any other career advice anyone feels led to give, as well as the bit about the degree.