Wine Education

Cutting Back on Sugar? Here's What Wine Drinkers Need to Know

The wine and spirit industry is dynamic, diverse and offers many opportunities to build an exciting and rewarding career.

This page aims to provide an introduction to some of the key positions available in the industry, including a brief summary of what can be expected from the role. Descriptions are intended as a guide only. Every role and company is unique and may have different requirements.

We will be adding to this page over time. If you're looking for a job don't forget to check out our jobs board.

• Commercial

• Service

• Production

Commercial roles

These roles relate to the sourcing, buying, selling and marketing of wines and spirits.

Buyer

The main responsibilities of a buyer are to source drinks from different locations, to negotiate prices and to set retail prices, while considering the trends and demands of the market in which they work. This job suits someone with excellent product knowledge and tasting skills, combined with a good eye for detail, as buyers are responsible for keeping track of stock levels, importation, warehousing and quality control. In smaller firms, buyers tend to undertake a greater variety of tasks with less support, perhaps having sole responsibility for imported products. In larger firms there may be a team of buyers, each with their own area of expertise. Many businesses will recruit junior buyers with a view towards training them.

Sales – Wholesale

On the wholesale side, sales personnel fall into two groups. Telesales is office based and involves speaking to regular customers to take their orders. Field sales involves visiting customers; retail shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels and wine bars. Getting to know the customer and understanding their market is vital as are sound commercial skills. A wholesaler’s portfolio can contain a range of wines and spirits, from inexpensive offerings for discount retailers, to the finest of products sold through exclusive stores and hotels. Sales staff need strong product knowledge and to be able to communicate with a whole range of different buyers in order to succeed..

Sales – Retail

Sometimes known as merchant this position is principally responsible for running and maintaining premises from which to sell alcoholic drinks. Their duties include taking orders in-store, by email, online and via telephone, organising deliveries to customers, sourcing and sampling new wines, hosting events, and merchandising shop space. This role requires excellent product knowledge and good tasting skills. The wine merchant will spend a lot of time on their feet on the shop floor – there can also be a lot of heavy lifting and long hours, so they need to be physically fit. This job would suit someone with a good instinct for sales, good customer service and interpersonal skills.

Brand Manager (Marketing)

Brand managers are responsible for creating a lasting impression among consumers and improving product sales and market share, which is crucial to the success of any wine or spirit product. This job will suit someone who has good analytical and communication skills. You will be responsible for preparing and executing marketing plans and campaigns across relevant channels -strong presentation skills and networking abilities are needed. Companies may prefer candidates that have a bachelor's degree in marketing or similar. Experience in the drinks industry or in FMCG is highly regarded.

Other Wine Education

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A golden season for the Tolos!

Our Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Riserva 2013 has been awarded the Gold

23 May 2019

Cutting Back on Sugar? Here's What Wine Drinkers Need to Know

Our Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Riserva 2013 has been awarded the Gold Medal at the XVII edition of the International Wine Competition “The Mayor’s Selection”, which took place in Canelli

23 May 2019

Lights! Camera! Pour! Wine Spectator’s 13th Annual Video Contest

Our Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Riserva 2013 has been awarded the Gold Medal at the XVII edition of the International Wine Competition “The Mayor’s Selection”, which took place in Canelli

22 May 2019

Cutting Back on Sugar? Here's What Wine Drinkers Need to Know

Our Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Riserva 2013 has been awarded the Gold