Harvest

Viticulture - Vines

Seasons

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Viticulture - Vines

Harvest (picking the grapes) is completed by hand or machine when the grapes are at just the right sweetness/acidity levels. Machine harvesters travel through the vineyards and gently shake the fruit from the vines. The hand picking is used to produce the highest quality wine, as this is more time consuming and selects the finest grapes that are cut from the vine with secateurs.

What you’ll need to bring to the role

Hand-harvesting is manual outdoor work and will involve bending, lifting and plenty of walking. Come prepared with good work boots, sunscreen, hat and plenty of water/food. There is also work during harvest in machinery operation, which you can be trained for on the job.

What you’ll get out of it

You will be working as part of a team, which is a good opportunity to get to know others. The roles can extend out for several months and can lead to further work in the vineyards.

What are your training options

Apply Now

View available jobs at:

PickNZFind a Job

Pruning

Viticulture - Vines

Seasons

Open Calendar
Viticulture - Vines

The pruning season requires a huge amount of effort and labour force and is very important as it affects the quality of the new fruit that will grow in summer. Pruning starts after harvest once the vine has dropped its leaves.

What you’ll need to bring to the role

There are different ways to prune a vine and your employer will provide training in their preferred method. You will be cutting the old canes and shoots and selecting a newly grown cane to wrap around the wire - involving repetitive use of loppers and secateurs. This is winter work, so you’ll need to rug up (at least until the sun appears and you warm up!).

What you’ll get out of it

The pruning season offers work for several months and can lead to further work in the vineyards. You will earn no less then minimum wage with many employers offering the opportunity to earn more through contract/piece rates.

What are your training options

Apply Now

View available jobs at:

PickNZFind a Job

Thinning, bud rubbing, lifting

Viticulture - Vines

Seasons

Open Calendar
Viticulture - Vines

There are a variety of tasks completed over this time - the role is often advertised as vineyard worker or labourer. Thinning is the removal of excess shoots; bud rubbing involves removing buds from the vine stems so that the energy is used to grow the new main buds; and the wire lifting is moving the wire to guide the vine to grow upwards.

What you’ll need to bring to the role

This is manual outdoor work and will involve plenty of bending and walking. Some of the tasks are more manual than others so switching between tasks can help rest your muscles. Come prepared with good work boots, sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water/food.

What you’ll get out of it

You will be working as part of a team, which is a good opportunity to get to know others. The roles can extend out for several months and can lead to further work in the vineyards.

What are your training options

Apply Now

View available jobs at:

PickNZFind a Job

Viticulture - Vines

Locations

Marlborough / KaikouraNelson / Tasman

Viticulture relates to growing and harvesting grapes before wine production. As a key wine producing region there is plenty of work in Marlborough and Nelson / Tasman that can lead to permanent roles.

Locations

In Marlborough, the largest wine growing region in New Zealand, the vineyards are in the areas surrounding Blenheim. In Nelson/Tasman, work can be found around Richmond, Moutere and Motueka. You can work with a vineyard labour contracting company, or direct with a vineyard.

Learn more about the roles

Harvest

Harvest (picking the grapes) is completed by hand or machine when the grapes are at just the right sweetness/acidity levels. Machine harvesters travel through the vineyards and gently shake the fruit from the vines. The hand picking is used to produce the highest quality wine, as this is more time consuming and selects the finest grapes that are cut from the vine with secateurs.

Pruning

The pruning season requires a huge amount of effort and labour force and is very important as it affects the quality of the new fruit that will grow in summer. Pruning starts after harvest once the vine has dropped its leaves.

Thinning, bud rubbing, lifting

There are a variety of tasks completed over this time - the role is often advertised as vineyard worker or labourer. Thinning is the removal of excess shoots; bud rubbing involves removing buds from the vine stems so that the energy is used to grow the new main buds; and the wire lifting is moving the wire to guide the vine to grow upwards.

Plan Your Next Step

Come and see what our industry has to offer and plan an employment and training path.

Open Calendar

For Employers

If your work is coming to an end and you are interested in seasonal workforce redeployment please contact:

Top of the South Early Response Team: totsearlyresponse@msd.govt.nz