CA Wineries

California winery workers are some of the hardest working workers in the world. They work day in and day out in the wineries, toiling away in the heat and humid conditions of the vineyards. We owe a big thanks to the hard work by the winery workers for helping the winery industry grow and for contributing to California's economy. There are over 34,000 winery workers in California, and they help support the $57 billion of the California winery industry.

Duties of a Winery Worker
Winery workers are responsible for the wine making process at a winery. Winery workers may do everything from fertilizing and preparing the soil, planting grape vines, pruning and taking care of the vines, and of course, picking the gapes. When the winery workers prepare the soil for planting, they may fertilize and oxygenate the soil using tractors or hoes. They also have to prepare and ensure the irrigation is working properly and the water is being distributed to the vines properly. When it comes to picking the grapes, winery workers also have to pick the grapes and separate them according to their size and ripeness, and discard the damaged or rotten grapes. Then they have to process the grapes, prepare the yeast, prepare the grapes for the fermentation process and the chosen fermentation vessel, and allow the wine to mature. Punching down the “cap” or “pump overs” may be used to deal with grape seeds and skins that rise to the surface, during the fermentation process. At the end of the fermentation process, the wine needs to be extracted from the fermentation vessel for longer term storage.

Keeping Pests and Weeds Away from the Vines
Winery workers also need to keep the pests away by spraying the vines and other weeds with chemicals to control the insects, disease, and growth of weeds. If the insects and pests aren't controlled, they can damage the grapes, making the grapes unusable for the wine making process. In addition, the pests can eat away at the leaves and cause other damage to the vines. And of course, disease is another problem with many vines that the workers need to control. Weed growth is also a problem as it crowds out the vines and makes the managing and cultivating of grape vines more difficult.

Communicating with Workers
It's also important for the owners or managers at a winery to communicate with the winery workers. Communication leads to a more effective and efficient winery, less mistakes will be made, and costs can go down if the communication with the workers is clear on both sides. While English is the typical language of communication in the wineries in California, since there are a lot of Spanish workers in California as well, owners and managers are encouraged to learn a little Spanish to communicate with their workers, if they have Spanish workers in the winery. Owners and managers can learn Spanish at an online website, which is convenient and isn't location dependent, as long as they have a fast internet connection.