The
Wine Industry in Napa Valley has flourished since it’s beginning in 1863.
Many of the Valley's wines are considered some of the finest in the world.
Napa Valley’s agricultural value has been excellent since Wappo Indians
inhabited this land. The Napa Valley was enriched with and abundance
of wild grape vines and other agricultural plants.
It was not discovered that grapes could produce wine in the valley until the 1840’s by a man named George Calvert Yount, who finally saw that grapes could bring prosperity to the Napa Valley by transforming the grapes into wine. John Patchett later grew the first commercial vineyard. As the wine industry became bigger many other people began to experiment. One person even experimented with over 400 varieties of grapes (Napa Valley Vinters Association).
There were about 140 wineries in the Napa Valley by 1889, but prohibition destroyed the business in 1919. Prohibition forced many winemakers to find other jobs. The Thirteenth amendment states, “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited,” (Miller and Jentz). It was more than a decade before the Napa Valley wine industry was back on its feet in 1933. The wine business was expanded more than ever after prohibition was over.
An important year for the wine industry was 1943. The Napa Valley Vinters Association was created and people began sharing ideas to bring many of the finest wines and foods together. It worked and the Valley’s wines were advanced both domestically and abroad. The Napa Valley Vinters Association has been in existence for over five decades and has greatly contributed to Napa Valley’s wine industry (Napa Valley Vinters Association). In 1975 the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association was created to bring an active marketing program to the Valley that continually improved over the years.
The Wine industry has continued to flourish throughout the years. Auctions for charity are held annually (which was started in Meadowood Resort in 1981). Recently technology has taken its turn in the wine industry. Many winemakers are using technology to clone grapes to make almost perfect tasting wines. This has become a controversial issue. Some winemakers say that as much as you use technology you must always rely on the very tradition of the wine business (Rachman). Many winemakers are starting to find this out and are going back to some traditional ways of making wine. Many early growers learned form trial and error (Rachman). Napa Valley has approximately 273 wineries in operation today, and has established a prospering market for the wine industry (Wine Train Agent).
Today many tourists come form all over to see and taste the Valley’s exquisite wines and excellent food. Many attractions, such as the Napa Valley wine train are a key factor in tourism. In 1999 over two million tourist visited the Napa Valley. Before the popular tourist attraction was called the wine train it was simply know as the Napa Valley Railroad, founded in 1864 by Samuel Brannan, and shortly after purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in 1885. The railroad was in operation until 1985 and then sold to the Napa Valley Wine Train, Inc in 1987. Since 1987 the Wine train has become a great tourist attraction, which has benefited Napa Valley’s revenue.
Many wineries also offer tours and wine tasting rooms. People can enjoy the wineries on a drive through the Valley or learn about them on the Wine train. When people taste a wine they are encouraged to place a piece of cheese on their tongues so that their palates will not be “ruined,” this way they can taste each individual wine at its true quality.
Another attraction is the Napa Valley Wine Growers Association, which puts on events to educate the public about the wine industry. The Napa Valley Viticulture Fair is put on every other year. The fair educates tourist and residents in Napa Valley about the wine industry and some of its new advances.
Some colleges around Napa Valley are beginning to recognize the wine business and as a result are creating educational programs for those who wish to become involved in the Wine Business. The Napa Valley Community College (NVCC) and Sonoma State University (SSU) give students the opportunity to get involved in the wine business. Although the programs are not connected students can take courses at Napa College to help get them ready for courses at Sonoma State. Napa Valley College’s wine program can help students complete the general education courses needed for a bachelor’s degree of business with a special interest in the Wine Industry. The wine program at SSU is set up for a bachelor’s degree in Business with a special interest in the Wine industry. A student can enter the Wine program at SSU upon an additional application other than college applications for enrollment at SSU (Galinsky).
For a student to be accepted to the Wine program s/he must complete all required prerequisites and general education. Most prerequisites consist of Economics, Math and Business classes. Once a student has completed the lower division classes they may apply for the Wine program for upper division classes. The Wine Program offers students an opportunity to put their skills to the test in an internship, which is usually undertaken during the last year before graduation at a winery, approved by the staff. The internship program is required for SSU students. Most wineries and vineyards will offer internships to students seeking a career in the wine industry. Students are more likely to want to seek an internship at a larger winery such as Robert Mondavi.
Professional Development Courses are also available for those who are already involved in the Wine Industry. These courses concentrate on the wine business today and how marketing is affected. Students can also take these courses if they are seeking a career change and have experience in the wine industry and/or business.
The Wine industry is growing rapidly in the Napa Valley. Students who have graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in business or the wine program (at SSU) and have had an internship in a business field or at a winery are more likely to be hired by a winery. Many wineries such a Mumm Napa Valley offer students internships as office assistance, in laboratories, or as a “cellar rat,”(in the midst of the business getting their hands dirty in the wine cellars). Almost any type of job is available for graduates and those seeking a career change because of the rapid growth of the Wine Industry. Not only are jobs available for college graduates, but also high school students may apply for internships for jobs that do not have an age requirement. A high school student would most likely be eligible for a job as an office assistant or if the student is eighteen they may be eligible to be a tour guide at a winery.
Many wineries will only higher a person with experience in business or the wine industry and who have a bachelors degree or higher. Experience is a key in the wine industry. Wineries want people with not only business skills, but with knowledge of the wine industry. Someone with previous experience is more likely to receive a job that will start with a moderate salary, starting pay would be between twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars. People who have not yet received a bachelor’s degree and/or have no experience will most likely start with a clerical job at a lower starting pay.
As a person develops their skills their salary can increase to forty thousand dollars or more depending on the job. Many of the jobs available include finance, corporate engineering, consulting and auditing services, grower relations, information services, marketing, supplier development, cellar operations and bottling, human resources, research, sales management development program, strategic planning, supply chain, and winemaking.
Wine related jobs are also available outside of wineries, such as tour guides, wine servers, and many other jobs. Some of these jobs are available through the Napa Valley wine train. The Napa Valley wine train also offers jobs such as clerks, wine train reservation agents, customer services, management, and chefs. Many of these jobs are related to the wine business because of the knowledge level that may be required of the wine industry.
The wine industry goes much further than that of the Napa Valley. It encompasses the world. However, having some knowledge about the history of the wine industry in Napa Valley, the educational opportunities, and the career outlook helps one in understanding how one could work and live well in the beautiful Napa Valley.