Also called: Viticulturist, Vineyard Foreman
Grows wine grapes, managing everything from pruning and irrigation to deciding the exact day to pick.
You walk the rows tasting grapes and checking sugar levels with a refractometer. You coordinate pruning crews in winter, battle mildew in spring, and during harvest you're up at 3 a.m. so grapes get picked while cool. Then you talk with the winemaker about how this year's fruit will taste.
Highest in Napa/Sonoma and Oregon wine regions.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in viticulture, horticulture, or plant science (UC Davis, Fresno State, Cornell); some rise through vineyard crews.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training, 2-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Viticulture & Enology, Horticulture, Plant Science.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Estimate; wine region job markets are small but steady.
Low risk for 10 years. Sensors and imaging guide irrigation and spot disease; pruning plans, crew leadership and picking the harvest day stay human.
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, Agriculture science CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9013.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.