Enologists

Learn about every stage of the winemaking process. If you are age 21 or older, you can experiment by making your own wine at home. To gain additional experience, try to land an entry-level job at a winery.

You will need excellent verbal and written communication skills to be a successful enologist, and you must be able to handle multiple tasks and priorities. You must take direction from supervisors and work well on a team. Basic computer knowledge is important, as is familiarity with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and state regulations concerning winemaking, handling, and transport.

As a manager, an enologist should be able to communicate and work well with people. The ability to interpret data is vital, as much of the enologist's planning responsibilities involve working with crop and market forecasts. Attention to detail is critical. An enologist should be able to spend long hours analyzing information and make and implement decisions concerning this information.

Enologists must be familiar with safety equipment and procedures. You need the physical strength to climb stairs, work on high platforms, lift and carry 40 pounds, bend, squat, and stretch.