What becomes of the graduates of the Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology and the international Master’s degree delivered by BSA (Bordeaux Sciences)? Their careers are rich and varied. Most foreign graduates return to work in their country of origin. Others remain in France after their end-of-studies internship. Here are some examples of the careers of former students, with key figures.
What are the professional opportunities following the Bachelor of Viticulture and Enology degree program?
What are the professional opportunities following the Master of Science in Vineyard and Winery Management degree program?
What do graduates of the two international courses at BSA (Bordeaux Sciences Agro) go on to do: the Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology and the Master of Science in Vineyard and Winery Management?
The vast majority go on to work after graduation. A minority continue their studies, going on to either a master’s degree for bachelor’s students, or doctoral research (PhD) for master’s students, notably at or at Cornell university.
The opportunities are very varied, from vineyard manager to winemaker in the family business, or even positions in exports or marketing.
What are the professional opportunities following the Bachelor of Viticulture and Enology degree program?
The purpose of the bachelor’s degree is professional. Therefore, most graduates return to their country of origin to work in the vineyards or in the cellar of a winery.
Their first job is most often as an assistant in a winery. The objective is to acquire first-hand professional experience that will act as a springboard to a position of responsibility.
Salaries vary greatly depending on the country’s standard of living and the level of experience of graduates. Some are just starting to work while others already have previous professional experience that they can build on. The average gross salary in Europe is €25,000 per year. In the United States, one alumni earns €43,000 per year.
Some go on to take over the family business, like José Jesús Mata Zagoya who manages viticulture and enology for the winery owned by his family in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Chinese graduates tend to work in the wine business in China or finish their studies in a Chinese university.
Most were recruited through personal connections or as a result of their end-of-studies internship, like Scott Hurell The former New Zealand student worked for two years at Château Smith Haut-Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, where he had completed his internship. He participated in two vinifications in the cellar. He then returned to New Zealand, where he was an assistant cellar master at a small winery.
The potential career paths are varied. Hélias Bentejac, 23, chose to go on to a Master of Science in Vineyard and Winery Management at BSA.
Professional opportunities following the Master of Science in Vineyard and Winery Management degree program.
55% of graduates from the Master’s program go on to work in wine production, viticulture or enology, even if they did not have a technical background to begin with. In general, they start as assistant vineyard managers, assistant oenologists, etc., and after a few years become production managers or oenologists. Others work in oenological laboratories.
45% get a job in sales, marketing, exports or take over the family wine business. Some set up their own wineries.
Young graduates of the master’s program usually go back to work in their country of origin, but some stay in France and sometimes settle down there, as is the case with Tommaso Nicolato, 29, Italian, who did his final internship at Château Palmer where he was then hired. He worked there as head of the experimentation and development laboratory for three and a half years. Since 2019, he has been working at the Excel laboratory in Bordeaux, as manager of the Enology Department.
Other graduates go abroad and then come back to France because they really enjoyed French life, like Bruno de Faria Baricelli, 27, from Brazil, who went to make wine for a season in Chile and then in California in 2016. He then returned to France and became a consultant oenologist at Natoli et Associés.
First jobs can sometimes be insecure, but all manage to get a permanent position after a year and a half. Lilia Melissa Perez Jimenez, an American-Mexican, age 33, for example, has found a position as Operations Manager on Long Island in New York, USA.
Salaries vary greatly. In France, young graduates with a master’s degree can ask for €1,800 to €2,200 gross per month in their first working year. In the United States or Canada, they earn between 50,000 and 100,000 US dollars per year.
The alumni find jobs most often in medium or large wineries. Large companies like LVMH or AdVini in France recruit from BSA. For example, a former student now works as an export manager at Emiliana Organic Vineyards, which has received numerous top awards for organic wine production worldwide.
Career paths of BSA graduates are varied and, in all cases, rich in experience.
See the Master of Science in Vineyard & Winery management degree program
See the Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology program
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