Tell us about your journey into the wine industry?
Shortly after completing an MSc in Environmental Consultancy in 2016, I joined the harvest at Rathfinny Wine Estate. At first I knew very little about the UK wine industry, but learned a lot and grew to really enjoy working out on the South Downs. I started to consider making viticulture my career soon after.
How did you first enter the wine industry?
After a couple of years of seasonal work a Vineyard Technician role came up. Having built up some experience, I started talking to colleagues about thier viticulture careers. I also took the WSET level 2 course at Plumpton to take on a little more wine knowledge. The vineyard manager gave me the role soon after.
The career decision was difficult, as I had studied to have a career in environmental science. I did find that thier were plenty of transferrable skills though, including lab work, sampling and statistics. It was great to be a part of the B-Corp team at Rathfinny also, which gave me a chance to utilise my previous learning.
Tell us a bit more about your current role.
I am currently at Wiston estate in the vineyard team. We are just finishing up pruning at the moment, one of my favourite jobs.
Mostly with vineyard work, I think you just need to be familiar with the various jobs through the year. It's seasonally dependant, so we'll have performance goals and want to get jobs completed on time. For example, all the vines need to be pruned and tied down before bud-burst occurs in April.
What are your long-term ambitions, or next steps in your career?
I'd like to take on an Assistant Vineyard Manager role or a Vineyard Manager role at a smaller vineyard. With my previous experience, I have plenty of experience with the agricultural science side, as well as yield estimations. At the moment I'm familiarising myself with operator and machinery skills. I've also picked up PA1 and PA3 (pesticide application certificates) on a Vineyard Operator course at Plumpton College.
What advice would you give to someone starting a career in wine?
Try to gain some experience in different areas to see what you like. There's so much variation between vineyard, winery, production, marketing, sales, tourism.
On the vineyard side, you definitely have to enjoy all types of weather. A pruning season in the UK can be an eye opener for some. You will need some good, warm, waterproof kit and the occasional reminder that you are working out in a beautiful space.
Are there any emerging trends in the wine industry or in your role that you're excited about, or that you're currently adapting to?
The evolving focus on sustainability and regenerative agriculture is great. I'm going to stick with technology for now though.
Vineyard tech is always exciting. There are some great new developments in drone mapping and satellite mapping for soil health and fruit ripeness. It's always great to what Ian Beecher-Jones is investigating at JoJo's Vineyard. There's also the development of the Plumpton Centenary Smart Vineyard, another one to look out for in the future.
I think it's important to remember the human side too though. Technology should help with the production of high quality fruit, aiding people instead of replacing them. One of my favourite parts of grape growing is how intricate and delicate the agricultural practices are. This is difficult to replicate with algorithms and machines.
