50 Useful Tips for New Harvest Interns (Plus link to 50 openings for 2010)

[Wes_Barton]

@E r i k Klepper

@Wes Barton

How about: Don’t just stand there like a dufus when the winemaker asks you to do something and doesn’t have the luxury of having time to explain why. Just make a mental note and ask later (if you didn’t figure it out through observation).

I can think of several of people with MBAs who have real problems following simple directions. People who haven’t done real jobs before are the ones likely to freeze up, not listen carefully, or second guess.

Anyway, you’re there to learn. But your learning is far from the winemaker’s top priority.

Having done this one or twice myself, I have to agree with you. Sometimes it was a function of exhaustion, others it was a function of having spent years thinking (and over-thinking) actions while desk jockeying. To an extent, I’d say it’s on the hiring manager to recognize when someone will be less adaptable in split-second situations and either train them up front (no, I don’t know how) or pass on the hire.

Sometimes it just takes someone a half a day to acclimate. Training is still theory, so it can only do so much. Even hands-on experience from when things are going smoothly only does so much when things get hectic.

I spent 15 years as a restaurant manager. The last thing you want is someone who slows down when it gets busy. So, as part of on the job training, when it’s slow, it’s a good idea to throw the newbies some curves and stress 'em out a bit. They’ll appreciate it when it gets busy.

[E_r_i_k_Klepper]

@Wes Barton

@E r i k Klepper

@Wes Barton

How about: Don’t just stand there like a dufus when the winemaker asks you to do something and doesn’t have the luxury of having time to explain why. Just make a mental note and ask later (if you didn’t figure it out through observation).

I can think of several of people with MBAs who have real problems following simple directions. People who haven’t done real jobs before are the ones likely to freeze up, not listen carefully, or second guess.

Anyway, you’re there to learn. But your learning is far from the winemaker’s top priority.

Having done this one or twice myself, I have to agree with you. Sometimes it was a function of exhaustion, others it was a function of having spent years thinking (and over-thinking) actions while desk jockeying. To an extent, I’d say it’s on the hiring manager to recognize when someone will be less adaptable in split-second situations and either train them up front (no, I don’t know how) or pass on the hire.

Sometimes it just takes someone a half a day to acclimate. Training is still theory, so it can only do so much. Even hands-on experience from when things are going smoothly only does so much when things get hectic.

I spent 15 years as a restaurant manager. The last thing you want is someone who slows down when it gets busy. So, as part of on the job training, when it’s slow, it’s a good idea to throw the newbies some curves and stress 'em out a bit. They’ll appreciate it when it gets busy.

I’d argue that it takes much longer than a half day - partly because you don’t encounter every issue on day one (obvious) but also because it’s a different rhythm in general for most people, especially as a function of what you’re doing - there’s a big difference between destemming six tons of fruit continuously and running a 2-3 hour press cycle on whole cluster whites, for example.

Anyway, I don’t think we disagree. Spending a lot of time around MBA-types myself, I know there’s a serious prima donna streak to contend with in many cases. Thanks Wes for the response.

[Wes_Barton]

@E r i k Klepper

@Wes Barton

@E r i k Klepper

Having done this one or twice myself, I have to agree with you. Sometimes it was a function of exhaustion, others it was a function of having spent years thinking (and over-thinking) actions while desk jockeying. To an extent, I’d say it’s on the hiring manager to recognize when someone will be less adaptable in split-second situations and either train them up front (no, I don’t know how) or pass on the hire.

Sometimes it just takes someone a half a day to acclimate. Training is still theory, so it can only do so much. Even hands-on experience from when things are going smoothly only does so much when things get hectic.

I spent 15 years as a restaurant manager. The last thing you want is someone who slows down when it gets busy. So, as part of on the job training, when it’s slow, it’s a good idea to throw the newbies some curves and stress 'em out a bit. They’ll appreciate it when it gets busy.

I’d argue that it takes much longer than a half day - partly because you don’t encounter every issue on day one (obvious) but also because it’s a different rhythm in general for most people, especially as a function of what you’re doing - there’s a big difference between destemming six tons of fruit continuously and running a 2-3 hour press cycle on whole cluster whites, for example.

Anyway, I don’t think we disagree. Spending a lot of time around MBA-types myself, I know there’s a serious prima donna streak to contend with in many cases. Thanks Wes for the response.

I meant acclimate as in getting used to the environment, coming out of a daze.

[Mary_Baker]

Cover picture is fuzzy because I am still waiting for the original graphic file, which will arrive by this weekend.

[Ken_Koda]

Very entertaining thread.
To think I worked with Pam Starr for years and never had a list like this!

As someone who went through Parris Island Basic Training, PLEASE DOT NOT even try to compare the harvest intern with USMC basic training. It is a total insult to us Jarheads, even in jest - like it is here.

my list

1. don’t be stupid. Dumb we can work with, stupid you can’t do shit about
2. Don’t let the hangover get you down
3. Make sure it is all clean
4. Watch the forklifts
5. When it is your turn to buy the beer, go Mexican, cold, and in can form.

[Mary_Baker]

Here is a mother lode of internships for 2010.

Good hunting!

[mike_drash]

Grow a better beard than the winemaker.

[Mark_Cochard]

@Jeff Brinkman

Wow Nate. You’re a hardass. You forgot to add -
The beatings will continue until morale improves.

We have this quote hanging in the cellar

[Jon_Hesford]

Great thread. Pretty funny comments.

There are some very good points but one thing to remember is that it should be fun too.

The number one thing I read was this…

-don’t do anything you wouldn’t proudly report to your boss

As a winery intern the most important thing is not to fuck up. Some wineries make a point of working interns to the bone and humiliating them in the process. I sense a little bit of this in the thread. I’ve seen these winemakers playing the boot-camp-sergeant role. The problem is that none of them have been in the military ( I have), they have just been abused by similar winemakers when they were interns.

In the military, you get trained first, then tested, then ridiculed, then accepted. In some wineries, it’s completely the other way round.

So here are my 10 rules for winemakers taking on interns:

1. Remember that they are human beings and are there to learn
2. When you ask someone to do something, explain why it is important.
3. Make sure everyone understands the dangers and never put anyone at risk
4. Interview the person thoroughly beforehand. If you hire a complete fuck-wit, it’s your fault.
5. Think very carefully about how you can get the best out of the person. Critisizing them publically for something they could not have known is probably going to encourage them to piss in your top cuvee.
6. If you are going to give a list of really complicated tasks, write them down.
7. At the end of the day, wine is just a pleasurable drink and a source of profit for the proprietor, no-one is going to die if someone spills a bit of wine or adds too much bentonite.
8. Everyone gets tired if overworked. Make sure you have enough people to cover the shifts.
9. When there is down-time, let them relax, not clean the drain a fourth time.
10. If they fuck-up, it’s usually because you didn’t manage them properly.

[Mary_Baker]

50 Tips for Cellar Rats has just been reviewed by Eric Arnold, executive editor at Bottlenotes. Eric is the author of First Big Crush, a former editor at Wine Spectator, and until recently, the lifestyle editor at Forbes.

Link to the review

If you’ve worked at a winery or know someone who has, we’d love to hear your war stories–and what sort of help you wish you had before that first day plucking leaves under the hot sun, cleaning an endless row of tanks or stacking bottles on the line. Share your experiences > here> .

[David_Vergari]

Hmmm…

1] If something is broken or does not work properly…[/i]report it immediately!!!

2A] Pick up after yourself
2B] Sometimes you need to pick up for someone else. I know, I know, this sucks. However, have a word with Pigpen the next time this happens, when it happens. This ususally works. If not, the next step is up to you. Be creative. Heh, heh, heh.

3] Do. Not. Bitch. Man up, dude.

4] When in doubt about a procedure, ask for clarification! You feel stupid? You’re not. And if the team-leader, cellar foreman, etc. makes you feel that way, tell them calmly and firmly that you are just making sure you get it right. If that doesn’t get through, well, be grateful that you’re an intern and can leave. Choose your battles.

Example: When I worked with Nui at Sonoma-Cutrer in 1990 (!), I asked him four times to explain something. I would have screwed it up otherwise, and no, he did not think that I was an idiot.

5] Finally–and I looove this one–do NOT ask if you’ll be involved in winemaking decisions or provide advice to the winemaker unless you are asked for it, which is not likely to occur. In most cases, the he/she has forgotten more about winemaking than you know at this point in your career. Would I act on a suggestion from an intern? Very rarely. Think of it this way: you are the winemaker; you use the intern’s suggestion and it ruins a lot of wine; you are responsible and the intern is long-gone. That’s the way it is.

Be well and prosper. Pace e amore.

[N_Weis]

@David Vergari

5] Finally–and I looove this one–do NOT ask if you’ll be involved in winemaking decisions or provide advice to the winemaker unless you are asked for it, which is not likely to occur. In most cases, the he/she has forgotten more about winemaking than you know at this point in your career. Would I act on a suggestion from an intern? Very rarely. Think of it this way: you are the winemaker; you use the intern’s suggestion and it ruins a lot of wine; you are responsible and the intern is long-gone. That’s the way it is.

Didn’t want to contribute here any more, as I seem to only paint myself as an asshole.

But…I can’t help it. And I’ve been called worse.

Don’t, in your interview, start talking about how “at this point in my career, I really need to spend a harvest shadowing a winemaker and being part of the decision-making process”.

I’m probably not going to pay you to breathe down my neck and ask me what I’m doing constantly for 8 weeks. While the guys that are here all year 'round scramble around trying to get all the work done. That’s not an efficient use of funds for me. I would love to talk to you about it after our shifts over a cold beer in general terms (you should ask “I noticed as I was doing pumpovers that you wanted this one done with a lot of air. Can you tell me why?” or “I noticed as I was filling barrels that you chose a lot of a certain cooper for this lot. How come?”; these would make me beam with pride…not only are you getting sh*t done, you are paying a lot of attention as you do it).

[William_Segui]

As someone that went through harvest for the first time last year and as someone that wants to make a career of it, I’d say the above pretty much covers all you need to know.

For those people looking to take harvest as a step into the business, Nate’s point about asking questions at the right time is spot on. More than half the time, I figured out the answer without having to ask. And want to make a winemaker really proud – ask him if he did X because you noticed he does Y. They like knowing you are paying attention and genuinely care about the tasks at hand.

There were two things that I asked myself before doing or finishing anything. They seemed to keep me out of trouble, but YMMV.

1.) If the winemaker were to ask what I was doing or why I just did what I did - could I tell him? Extra credit if you actually have a good reason for it.

2.) Would I put my own wine (and knowing the economics of this game – my ass, my families ass, etc) in here? Especially precient question to ask when cleaning tanks, hoses, pumps, etc. If you are serious about wanting to be a winemaker (as I am), ask yourself if you’d put your wine in there.

I’ve met Nate. I’m pretty sure he’s a good guy, he just plays asshole on the internet.

[David_Vergari]

Nate Weis? Arse-hole???!!! This is a joke, right? No [BLEEPING] way. Can’t fool me. Uh,uh. Fuggedaboutit.

[John_Oglesby]

i just have to add…

“We do not care about UC Davis. In fact, it’s better off if you don’t even mention you’re a graduate!”

[Al_Osterheld]

Sure, but what about Fresno?

-Al

[sheldon_haynie]

@Al Osterheld

Sure, but what about Fresno?

-Al

Good place to look at tractors, other than that what about it ?

[John_Oglesby]

@Al Osterheld

Sure, but what about Fresno?

-Al

Fresno grads are “a-ok”!

[Al_Osterheld]

Fresno grads are “a-ok”!

That’s what I’ve been told.

-Al

[David_Vergari]

John Oglesby, good sir, was your comment made in jest? Can’t tell!