Oenologist to wine fermenter
An oenologist already meets 70% of what the wine fermenter role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
31.5/ 100
1 How much of what a wine fermenter is expected to do is already part of an oenologist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the wine fermenter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A wine fermenter role treats 13 of its required skills as things an oenologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- age alcoholic beverages in vats
- apply GMP
- apply HACCP
- apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
- biotechnology
- fermentation processes of beverages
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A wine fermenter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an oenologist background worth leading with.
- already held rack wines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held tend wine manufacturing machines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held wine fermentation process engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held monitor the process of wine production information skills
- already held prepare containers for beverage fermentation handling and moving
- already held variety of grapes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 15 carried skills, including the 13 the wine fermenter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 9 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn sterilise fermentation tanks required
- still to learn ensure sanitation required
- still to learn follow hygienic procedures during food processing required
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production optional
- optional, not held match food with wine optional
- still to learn monitor fermentation required
- optional, not held keep inventory of goods in production optional
- optional, not held vinegar fermentation process optional
- optional, not held measure density of liquids optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a wine fermenter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 monitor fermentation practise this
- 02 sterilise fermentation tanks practise this
- 03 ensure sanitation practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held age alcoholic beverages in vats skill
- already held apply GMP skill
- already held apply HACCP skill
- already held apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages skill
- already held biotechnology knowledge
- already held fermentation processes of beverages knowledge
- already held monitor temperature in manufacturing process of food and beverages skill
- already held monitor the process of wine production skill
- already held prepare containers for beverage fermentation skill
- already held rack wines skill
- already held tend wine manufacturing machines skill
- already held variety of grapes knowledge
- already held wine fermentation process knowledge
- already held liaise with colleagues skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production optional
- optional, not held match food with wine optional
- optional, not held measure density of liquids optional
- optional, not held vinegar fermentation process optional
- optional, not held keep inventory of goods in production optional
44 held skills the wine fermenter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role analyse samples of food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- not needed by the target role apply control process statistical methods skill
- not needed by the target role assist bottling skill
- not needed by the target role attend to detail in preparation for audits skill
- not needed by the target role beverages filtration processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role blend beverages skill
- not needed by the target role check bottles for packaging skill
- not needed by the target role chemical constitution of grapes knowledge
- not needed by the target role control grape quality skill
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role control wine quality skill
- not needed by the target role describe flavour of different wines skill
- not needed by the target role exert quality control to processing food skill
- not needed by the target role filter wine skill
- not needed by the target role financial capability knowledge
- not needed by the target role food and beverage industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- not needed by the target role handle wine sales skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role identify market niches skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role manage wine cellar inventory skill
- not needed by the target role mark differences in colours skill
- not needed by the target role measure the strength of distillation skill
- not needed by the target role mitigate waste of resources skill
- not needed by the target role monitor centrifugal separators skill
- not needed by the target role monitor winemaking process skill
- not needed by the target role operate pasteurisation processes skill
- not needed by the target role pathogenic microorganisms in food knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform detailed food processing operations skill
- not needed by the target role perform sensory evaluation of food products skill
- not needed by the target role processes of foods and beverages manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role set production facilities standards skill
- not needed by the target role store wine skill
- not needed by the target role supervise grape pressing skill
- not needed by the target role types of wine knowledge
4 further entries not listed here
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held vinegar fermentation process optional
Common questions about this move
Can an oenologist become a wine fermenter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An oenologist already covers 70% of what a wine fermenter is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 13 of which the wine fermenter role treats as required.
What skills does an oenologist need to become a wine fermenter?
4 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is monitor fermentation.
How hard is the move from oenologist to wine fermenter?
Its learning distance is 31.5 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.