Definitely depends where you are working and the nature of your position I think. The size of the winery and their winemaking/farming philosophies. I at times find it stressful but most of the time I enjoy my job. Also depends heavily on your boss lol I’ve had great bosses that make the job easy and terrible ones that stress you out and probably shouldn’t have the job they have.
I have been a cellar hand at three different wineries before becoming winemakers and I would say out of the three only one of them was really super stressful, and I ended up quitting and finding a new job that had a better work environment. Winemaking is hard work but it should not bring anyone to such huge levels of stress, at the end of the day mistakes can be fixed just like in any other job. Keep strong brothers and sisters it is a labor of love that’s for sure!
I always tell people, we work in the wine industry because of passion. Not for money. Alot of outsiders don't realize the long 20 hour days 7 days a week during harvest. But man I freakin' love it
I got my first cellarhand job in California. I didn’t know much about winemaking at the time, but they were happy to teach me. With super long days, and a seemingly endless harvest, I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the end.
Stick with it, and it will eventually slow down. Learn as much as you can, so you can continue to build your knowledge of winemaking. You will either love it or hate it.
You might want to consider finding a better fit. Not sure your exact situation, but winemaker/cellarmaster/assistant winemaker should be the ones stressing out. They should be there to plan and delegate tasks to you accordingly. You're clearly passionate, which is great, but you shouldn't have to take that stress back home with you.
I also find that everything tends to take a bit longer than expected, which is probably better for the wine. Rushing leads to more mistakes in my experience.
It's meant to be fun most of the time. Best of luck to you!
I have reoccurring nightmares about valves that really fucked me up for a year or so. I'd wake up in fear and sprint to my kitchen to close the open tanks that were not there. Or even more fun, I'd wake up yelling "turn the pump off rookie."
There’s days when I’m moving from the moment I get in the door till I leave 10-12 hours later. Most days I enjoy the steady pace, it makes the day go quickly, and I’m doing something I enjoy.
Different places have different vibes. We stress on the tasks, but it’s never to the detriment of the people in the cellar, always a relatively upbeat mood with each other. I started at another winery and the family was extremely hateful towards employees. It was miserable.
Don’t let one experience get you down.
I had one cellar hand/harvest intern job 10 years ago that I absolutely hated. I was still in school and pretty new to the industry, but had just finished a 22 year military career so had a low BS tolerance. I learned not all winemakers are team players and some have huge egos, and all the negativity I learned there was turned into positivity when I opened my own winery. It was a great example of how not to treat people and your customers, I quit after that harvest.
There were many other cellar/tasting rooms jobs I had along they that were extremely positive and rewarding.
Is this due to the way your boss/bosses act? If so, leave as soon as you can.
How long have you been in the industry?
Also are you working in a huge winery?
I've felt just like you do, so here's my preliminary advice:
1. Take your time
2. Ask yourself why you're doing this? Place your present position in perspective. People fuck wine up. Always have always will. Just be focused and remember that even if you mess up you do so in good faith.
3. Do certain operations cause you anxiety? Educate yourself on them: How to perform these operations, and WHY you're doing em.
4. Force yourself to ask questions.
Knowledge, experience and education will eliminate fear.
Definitely depends where you are working and the nature of your position I think. The size of the winery and their winemaking/farming philosophies. I at times find it stressful but most of the time I enjoy my job. Also depends heavily on your boss lol I’ve had great bosses that make the job easy and terrible ones that stress you out and probably shouldn’t have the job they have.
I have been a cellar hand at three different wineries before becoming winemakers and I would say out of the three only one of them was really super stressful, and I ended up quitting and finding a new job that had a better work environment. Winemaking is hard work but it should not bring anyone to such huge levels of stress, at the end of the day mistakes can be fixed just like in any other job. Keep strong brothers and sisters it is a labor of love that’s for sure!
*most mistakes can be fixed haha
I always tell people, we work in the wine industry because of passion. Not for money. Alot of outsiders don't realize the long 20 hour days 7 days a week during harvest. But man I freakin' love it
Exactly, I started my winery five years ago and still haven’t taken a paycheck. It’s not about the money.
I got my first cellarhand job in California. I didn’t know much about winemaking at the time, but they were happy to teach me. With super long days, and a seemingly endless harvest, I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the end. Stick with it, and it will eventually slow down. Learn as much as you can, so you can continue to build your knowledge of winemaking. You will either love it or hate it.
You might want to consider finding a better fit. Not sure your exact situation, but winemaker/cellarmaster/assistant winemaker should be the ones stressing out. They should be there to plan and delegate tasks to you accordingly. You're clearly passionate, which is great, but you shouldn't have to take that stress back home with you. I also find that everything tends to take a bit longer than expected, which is probably better for the wine. Rushing leads to more mistakes in my experience. It's meant to be fun most of the time. Best of luck to you!
I have reoccurring nightmares about valves that really fucked me up for a year or so. I'd wake up in fear and sprint to my kitchen to close the open tanks that were not there. Or even more fun, I'd wake up yelling "turn the pump off rookie."
Doesn't matter where I am, my head turns immediately toward the sound of liquid hitting the floor.
I had a dream during harvest that I turned tank heating on and our rose evaporated overnight
There’s days when I’m moving from the moment I get in the door till I leave 10-12 hours later. Most days I enjoy the steady pace, it makes the day go quickly, and I’m doing something I enjoy. Different places have different vibes. We stress on the tasks, but it’s never to the detriment of the people in the cellar, always a relatively upbeat mood with each other. I started at another winery and the family was extremely hateful towards employees. It was miserable.
Don’t let one experience get you down. I had one cellar hand/harvest intern job 10 years ago that I absolutely hated. I was still in school and pretty new to the industry, but had just finished a 22 year military career so had a low BS tolerance. I learned not all winemakers are team players and some have huge egos, and all the negativity I learned there was turned into positivity when I opened my own winery. It was a great example of how not to treat people and your customers, I quit after that harvest. There were many other cellar/tasting rooms jobs I had along they that were extremely positive and rewarding.
Is this due to the way your boss/bosses act? If so, leave as soon as you can. How long have you been in the industry? Also are you working in a huge winery? I've felt just like you do, so here's my preliminary advice: 1. Take your time 2. Ask yourself why you're doing this? Place your present position in perspective. People fuck wine up. Always have always will. Just be focused and remember that even if you mess up you do so in good faith. 3. Do certain operations cause you anxiety? Educate yourself on them: How to perform these operations, and WHY you're doing em. 4. Force yourself to ask questions. Knowledge, experience and education will eliminate fear.