Annual Salary
£20,000 to £35,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Wine merchants buy and sell wines from around the world. They also advise customers on different types of wine.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays;
There will be
2.2% more Wine merchant jobs in 2027.
As a wine merchant, you could:
You could work at a store or at a client's business.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
You could start in the trade as a sales assistant for a wine retailer, a wine wholesaler, or by working in a wine bar or restaurant.
Experience and qualifications gained through the hospitality sector may be useful in this role.
Business, sales and marketing experience might also be helpful.
You can apply directly to get into this job. You'll usually need retail experience and extensive product knowledge to be an independent wine merchant.
You could start work with a large wine retailer as a graduate management trainee, if you have a degree. Employers will accept most subjects.
You could also take training and qualifications with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust to build up your knowledge of the industry.
You'll need to:
The ability to speak French, Spanish, Portuguese, German or Italian would be useful for working with overseas wine producers.
You'll find more advice about working in wine retail and wholesale through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
With experience you could become:a distributor, buying from producers and selling to retail outlets; an independent wine merchant with your own shop; an events organiser for trade fairs, tastings and competitions; a wine producer, either in the UK or overseas; a wine consultant, advising on production, marketing and selling
You could also study for exams with The Institute of Masters of Wine to become a Master of Wine. This demonstrates your expertise in the wine industry.
You'll need: