Wine Marketing and Sales Jobs

Whether you have a passion for wine or just a knack for learning quickly, wine marketing and sales jobs are great careers in the wine industry. A wine sales manager position requires a certain type of individual. However, the wineries have begun to understand this fact and are compensating accordingly. In fact, WineBusiness.com reports that the vice president of sales has some of the highest compensation out of any of the positions in the wine business. For strictly a sales manager, the average salary you can expect to see is right around $102,000.

Wine sales managers will often times manage different districts in different states, and thus have a demanding job description. Individuals looking to make it to the top of this food chain (or rather wine chain) should be extremely determined, motivated, self-sufficient, and a high desire to succeed. Further, the requirements for this job are usually a Bachelor’s degree, a concise communication style, strong leadership qualities and of course, an extensive knowledge of wines.

Before stepping into the sales manager role, it would be a good idea to get your feet wet as a wine sales representative. The same qualities that are required for the sales manager position remain the same for the representative: motivated and self-sufficient, extensive wine knowledge, a desire to succeed, organized, and existing contacts often help. The requirements for this position will vary. Some wine companies prefer you to have or at least be working towards a Bachelor’s degree, while some just require strong selling and closing techniques. Because many of the sales representatives work on a commission based pay structure, the average salary varies from $43,000-$74,000.

An integral part of the sales process begins with the marketing department. Many wineries take the approach that marketing creates the brand, and the sales representatives take it from there. In any instance, the position of a wine marketing specialist is still a crucial component to any wine company. A wine company will seek out a candidate that preferably has a Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in marketing (even better, in wine marketing) and previous experience in the wine industry. The duties and responsibilities of a marketing specialist include the design and creation of all sales materials (brochures, presentation, tasting notes, etc.), management of POS techniques (point of sale), and maintenance of the images as well as other attachments on the website. This position will greatly vary in pay by the size of winery (a larger winery may have greater resources to pay more than smaller wineries), but this typically is a salaried position with available health benefits.

Another important position for the marketing side of the wine business is the special events and wine marketing coordinator. This position is responsible for organizing and completing events to market the wine brand, such as off-site wine tastings, wine festivals, and other related events. This coordinator is also typically responsible for organizing internal activities such as holiday and other event parties. Finally, the marketing coordinator must work closely with the marketing group to identify the best events to participate in to market the wine brand, such as regional or national trade events.

The requirements to fill this position are varied, but typically wineries will look for experience in event planning and a Bachelor’s degree in a related field. Further, the ideal candidate has a strong attention to detail, concise verbal and written communication skills, is a team player, and is able to thrive and excel in a fast-paced environment. A typical salary according to WineBusiness.com will average around $42,000 per year.