How to hire a viticulturist

How to hire a viticulturist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step viticulturist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a viticulturist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new viticulturist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a viticulturist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A viticulturist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, viticulturists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents viticulturist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Viticulturist	Description	Hourly rate
   Viticulturist	Agricultural and food scientists research ways to improve the efficiency and safety of agricultural establishments and products.	$11-51
   Agronomist	Agronomists are professionals who are experts in finding ways to maximize crop production from a given acreage of soil. These agronomists must maintain a deep understanding of soil productivity principles by performing experiments to determine plant nutrients and soil health... Show more	$12-50
   Soil Scientist	A soil scientist analyzes soil structures. They research soil's chemical properties, microorganism content, and physical composition... Show more	$28-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wine
   • Harvest
   • Pest Control
   • GIS

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead all agronomy relate functions including fertility management, irrigation.
   • Compile field reports and take GPS data points for vines and vineyards.
   • Coordinate and monitor harvest schedules and winery deliveries.
   • Assess and report fruit maturity to effectively coordinate the harvest sampling program.
   • Develop a USDA/Aphis environmental assessment for the deregulation of a genetically modify lepidoperan resistant cotton variety by the USDA.
   • Prepare soil feasibility studies and used AutoCAD to generate finalize maps and detail descriptions.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your viticulturist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A viticulturist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, viticulturists' average salary in wyoming is 60% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level viticulturists 78% less than senior-level viticulturists.
   • Certifications. A viticulturist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a viticulturist's salary.

   Average viticulturist salary

   $51,625yearly

   $24.82 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level viticulturist salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average viticulturist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$58,454	$28
   2	California	$57,548	$28
   3	California	$57,423	$28
   4	California	$57,139	$27
   5	California	$57,008	$27
   6	California	$56,945	$27
   7	California	$56,437	$27
   8	California	$55,706	$27
   9	Florida	$46,434	$22
   10	Oregon	$44,997	$22

   Average viticulturist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sutter Home Wines	$48,205	$23.18
   2	Duckhorn Vineyards	$47,805	$22.98
   3	Treasury Wine Estates	$45,238	$21.75
   4	Constellation Brands	$31,756	$15.27

4. Writing a viticulturist job description

   A job description for a viticulturist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a viticulturist job description:

   Viticulturist job description example

   About the Company:
   
   Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world's leading wine companies. We know that it's the thinkers, makers and doers who have the most impact as we continue to strive towards being recognized as the world's most admired premium wine company. We are proud of our portfolio of brands that have tremendous heritage, rich quality, and a reputation for excellence across the globe. From the iconic luxury of Penfolds, to the broad appeal of Beringer, Etude, Sterling, Stags' Leap, Beaulieu Vineyard and newer brands like 19 Crimes, we are committed to creating memorable wine experiences for our consumers.
   
   Summary:
   
   TWE seeks a Technical Viticulturist. The Technical Viticulturist will address the technical viticultural needs and winegrowing standards of Treasury's Sonoma and Carneros vineyards by identifying, implementing, and monitoring vineyard productivity, sustainability, and quality.
   
   Key Responsibilities include:
   
   + Implement, monitor, and provide feedback on vineyard cultural programs in alignment with the technical viticulture framework.
   
   + Perform scouting of TWE internal vineyards for pests, diseases, disorders, and crop estimates in vineyards managed by TWE vineyard team.
   
   + Identify viticultural challenges, needs and opportunities across all internal vineyards in Sonoma County and Carneros.
   
   + Provide technical viticultural support/training/extension to the company's vineyard and grower relations teams.
   
   + Oversee data collection (weather, soil moisture, analyses of soil, plants, and water, etc.) used for making decisions on vineyard practices and for assessing sustainability compliance.
   
   + Assist vineyard operations team on technical matters including grape quality standards, variety and clonal evaluation, fertilizer and fungicide programs, budgets, and vineyard practices.
   
   + Conduct project work in areas as directed by Technical Viticulture Manager.
   
   + Provide GIS and GPS mapping support for vineyard and winemaking teams to include mapping of vineyards and aerial image processing.
   
   + Report monthly and seasonally to the Technical Viticulture Manager the activities, regional results and projects that have been undertaken
   
   Qualifications:
   
   + Tertiary Qualifications in Viticulture or related field
   
   About You
   
   + You have Two year or more of experience in Viticulture/Horticulture crop production.
   
   + You are experience in Human Resource management / extension.
   
   + You have an open, receptive attitude to new ideas and techniques.
   
   What's in it for you
   
   + The opportunity to be bold and make an impact in the world of wine
   
   + Access to the world's most celebrated wines through our employee product allowance
   
   + True flexibility in determining how, when and where you work to achieve your potential
   
   + Opportunity to build a career across multiple functions (we're really good at doing this!)
   
   + Structured development programs to support your health, wellbeing, and career
   
   + "TWE for ME Day" - an additional day of leave each year, for you to do you
   
   + Officed in the beautiful Napa Valley region
   
   Culture
   
   We bring our whole selves, we're courageous and we deliver together - that's our DNA. We're a passionate bunch who enjoy working together, like to have fun and keep things down-to-earth. We're brave enough and care enough to have the right conversations to get the best outcome and are famous for our can-do attitude. We're definitely "glass half full" people and see challenges as opportunities and move with pace to achieve our goals.
   
   If you're ready to help us be the world's most admired premium wine company, please apply now!
   
   Inclusion, Equity and Diversity
   
   Just like the wide range and variety of brands in our wine portfolio, TWE embraces diversity and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or on the basis of disability.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find viticulturists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any viticulturists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level viticulturists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your viticulturist job on Zippia to find and recruit viticulturist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with viticulturist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new viticulturist

   Once you've found the viticulturist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new viticulturist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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