Picture yourself working amid scenic vines and enjoying some quality discounted wine after work? Then perhaps you should investigate some of the many wine farm vacancies in the Western Cape. Running a wine farm is not only about producing the actual wine and there is a vast range of different positions that need to be filled to ensure that the farm is running effectively and efficiently. Many wine farms sell their products directly from the farm offer wine tasting, and even play host to hotels and restaurants, opening a number of job vacancies in the industry.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa, and with this, the market and scope of wine farms (as part of the leisure and hospitality industries) is also growing steadily. In fact, over 7 million tourist each year grace South African shores, many of whom would like to wet their palettes with some of the best wines in the world.
Current job vacancies
Wine farm vacancies in the Western Cape pop up all the time, so you can look forward to opportunities such as:
- Grape pickers (this job can be seasonal.
- Winemakers for the planning and execution of wine making and production.
- Vineyard marketing specialists with a knowledge of wine sales and promotions.
- Creditors Clerks, bookkeepers, and other financial service providers.
- Receptionists for the hospitality wine farm industry.
- Waitrons, managers, chefs and line cooks, for wine farm restaurants.
- General handymen and domestic workers for wine farm maintenance.
- Tasting room assistants with good knowledge of wines to help customers with wine tasting and describe the wines on offer.
- Cashiers to work at wine farm stores. These cashiers often need to have knowledge about the wine industry, or be quick and willing to learn about it.
These are just a few of the many job opportunities, both skilled and unskilled, that could present themselves on a wine farm.
Get qualified
The Cape Wine Academy was founded in 1979 and is recognised as the official training and wine education institution in South Africa. At the Cape Wine Academy, over 6000 students are trained each year from three different sectors:
- Students at tertiary institutions (including technikon students, tourism students and cookery schools) account for about 45% of the institute’s business.
- The second group are those who are employees in the food and wine industry.
- Corporate clients and the general public make up 45% of the Cape Wine Academy’s learners.
The Cape Wine Academy offers a number of SETA-accredited service courses, both social and professional. The wine courses on offer are as follows:
- South African Wine course
- Certificate Wine course
- Diploma Wine course
- Cape Wine Masters
- Tertiary Wine Studies
- Wines of the World course
The academy also offer hospitality courses, such as the front of house course and Wine Service course; as well as a unique South African Brandy course.
With these kind of qualifications to your name, a career on a wine farm becomes that much closer to becoming a reality. To contact the Cape Wine Academy’s Stellenbosch Branch, call on 021 889 8844 or email michelle@capewineacademy.co.za. For the Johannesburg branch, phone the Cape Wine Academy on 011 024 3616 or email marilyn@capewineacademy.co.za. The Cape Wine Academy also has branches around Africa in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Namibia. For further details, visit the Cape Wine Academy website on http://www.capewineacademy.co.za.
Working on a wine farm has a number of benefits, one of the most significant being the beautiful surroundings in which you will find yourself on a daily basis. You will also have the opportunity of participating in the South African tourism business, a thriving and dynamic industry allowing you to share your wine knowledge with interested people. Not to mention possibly the best benefit of all – as a wine farm employee you may be provided discounted access to the finest wines South Africa, and indeed the world, has to offer!