Overview:

Viticulturists research and implement their findings to better help grape vines produce grapes that are of high quality and amount that is required for making wine.

What responsibilities will I have?

• Production of grapes under a wide variety of natural conditions including preparation of the land, planting, trellising, pruning, monitoring and controlling of pests and diseases, fertilizing, irrigation and canopy management
• Potential to manage both table and wine grapes
• Understand optimum ripeness (fruit development and characteristics) and proper harvesting of grapes
• Design and implement pest and disease control programs following pest management practices and a sustainable farming approach
• Use plant, climate and soil moisture monitoring equipment for scheduling irrigation and modeling grapevine shape/phrenology
• Diagnose and solve viticulture problems
• Collect, organize and report viticulture data to support farming and marketing decisions
• Possibly direct and supervise staff
• Provide feedback and guidance to wine farmers/vineyard managers to yield the best results
• Direct contact with the winemaker to communicate grape characteristics needed to begin the winemaking process

What education and training is required?

A bachelor’s degree in viticulture, oenology, or horticulture is required. A master’s degree in viticulture or oenology or horticulture is also often a requirement.

To pursue a career as a Viticulturist:

The following high school courses are recommended:  agricultural education, biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

Typical Employers:

Typical employers are wine farms or estates, wine production companies, government agencies, colleges and universities or you may be self-employed.

Future Job Market/Outlook:

The future outlook for Viticulturist is projected to be good to excellent depending on the region.

Suggested Professional Organizations and Associations:

• American Society for Enology and Viticulture
• Winegrape Growers of America