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Money & Outlook

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Christine Allen, in the Wine Institute's communications department, says there are approximately 1,700 commercial wineries in the U.S. But many wineries have several winemakers, depending on their size. "The exact number of winemakers in the U.S., to our knowledge, is not tracked," she says.

Peter Ficklin is a winemaker. He says there are over 1,000 wineries in California alone. But an accurate estimate of the number of winemakers in the U.S. is hard to determine.

"Not only do you have winemakers working in the vineyards, you also have people who have a degree in winemaking -- and they are running the labs in larger corporations. Some of these corporations have five, six or even a dozen winemakers," says Ficklin.

The future is a little brighter for winemakers, according to Merilark Padgett-Johnson. She is an instructor and program coordinator for an enology and viticulture program.

"There are many opportunities both now and in the future. The western states in particular have experienced a recent planting boom of wine grapes. These vines are at or near to bearing fruit, so facilities and winemakers are needed to process and ferment this new supply of fruit."

According to Padgett-Johnson, the salary range for winemakers is very broad -- "anywhere from $36,000 a year to six figures, depending on the specific winery and their labels."

She adds that salaries vary according to how much wine a particular facility is able to produce and the consumer price of the particular wine being made and bottled.

"Cash flow of the facility, reinvestment back into the company, and whether the winery grows its own grapes or buys them can also determine employees' salaries," she says.

If winemakers can do it all -- the microbiology, the enology, the cellar work -- they certainly make more money than they would if they had to pay for outside expertise.

Earnings and employment information from the U.S. Department of Labor is not available for this field at this time.

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