How to hire a wine maker

How to hire a wine maker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step wine maker hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the wine maker you need to hire. Certain wine maker roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect wine maker also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of wine makers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Wine Maker	Description	Hourly rate
   Wine Maker		$12-46

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wine
   • Harvest
   • Storage Tanks

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform data analysis and provide recommendations to achieve stability of wine.
   • Produce honey wine using locally forage ingredients and naturally occurring yeasts.
   • Preform all positions and responsibilities accurately in a timely fashion building clientele.
   • Promote and demonstrate various wines sell at Costco stores during the holiday season.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the wine maker job description is a good way to get more applicants. A wine maker salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a wine maker in Mississippi may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level wine maker. Additionally, a wine maker with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average wine maker salary

   $49,821yearly

   $23.95 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level wine maker salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average wine maker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$67,501	$32
   2	California	$66,022	$32
   3	California	$65,930	$32
   4	California	$65,476	$31
   5	California	$64,890	$31
   6	California	$64,877	$31
   7	Virginia	$63,611	$31
   8	California	$63,520	$31
   9	Michigan	$59,001	$28
   10	Illinois	$56,219	$27
   11	Illinois	$56,124	$27
   12	Illinois	$56,112	$27
   13	Illinois	$56,021	$27
   14	Illinois	$55,981	$27
   15	Illinois	$55,809	$27
   16	Illinois	$55,770	$27
   17	Illinois	$55,534	$27
   18	Illinois	$55,461	$27
   19	Illinois	$55,302	$27
   20	Illinois	$55,116	$27

   Average wine maker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dunn&Co	$53,696	$25.82
   2	The Indigo Road Resturant Group	$51,594	$24.80
   3	PLUM	$46,753	$22.48
   4	Festival Foods	$46,260	$22.24
   5	Ste. Michelle Wine Estates	$45,999	$22.11
   6	Binny's	$41,823	$20.11
   7	Kroger	$35,436	$17.04	46
   8	United Natural Foods	$34,734	$16.70
   9	The Wine Company	$31,884	$15.33
   10	Alkar Human Resources	$29,540	$14.20

4. Writing a wine maker job description

   A good wine maker job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a wine maker job description:

   Wine maker job description example

   Cub - Wine & Spirits Woodbury - Now Hiring | 143384Job Posting Sep 8, 2022Primary Location Minnesota-Woodbury Description POSITION TITLE: Liquor Clerk
   ACCOUNTABLE TO: Liquor Manager
   PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
   To provide courteous customer service dealing with sale of liquor and to know and observe the various state and local regulations regarding the sale of liquor and cigarettes.
   To Stock, rotate and face product, build displays as required for daily sales and to ensure a positive shopping experience for customers.
   NATURE AND SCOPE
   Primary challenge in this position is to provide prompt, courteous customer service, accurate money handling, keeping adequate inventory levels, stock and clean shelves. Position functions and work hours mat vary according to business needs.
   
   Essential Position Functions
   
   Assist Customers
   
   -Greet customers
   -Assist customers with products; Suggest Products
   -Bring customers to location of items, when needed
   -Stocks liquor supplies
   -Provides courteous customer service
   -General cleaning of shelves and other store areas
   -Knows all laws and regulations pertaining to liquor sales and also laws pertaining to Hours of operation
   -Able to handle special orders, such as kegs, and have appropriate equipment ready for Customers when they pick up the special orders
   -Close and secure gates at end of day
   -Be able to work independently
   -Other duties as assigned
   
   2. Preforms aisle stocking as needed
   -Completes assigned tasks in an efficient and timely manner
   -Ensures correct placement of stock
   -Rotates and faces product as required
   
   Frequent Requirements:
   Frequent: Physical- Lifting up to 50 lbs., Equipment operation (scanner, Register, Check approval machine, Intercom), reaching, standing, and turning:
   Mental- judgment/decision making, social skills/verbal interactions, memorizing, reading, writing, math
   Occasional: Physical-Lifting over 50lbs. Equipment operation (adding machine), Calculator, squatting stooping/bending, walking
   
   My Cub. My Way.
   We provide our customers the best grocery experience period by personalizing our customers' evolving needs with innovation, convenience and by supporting the communities we serve through delivering quality, variety and fresh groceries.
   At Cub, employment is built on a foundation of diversity and inclusion that enhances and enables our associates' career development through education and training. We pride ourselves in having a strong team of passionate employees who provide exceptional service. Every employee has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our customers.
   We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find wine makers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with wine maker 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 wine maker

   Once you've decided on a perfect wine maker candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new wine maker 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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