AUSTRALIA · JOB GUIDE
Join a winery for vintage: cleaning equipment, transferring juice and supporting wine production. Some seasonal teams train beginners; the biggest commitment is availability through the harvest peak.
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You enjoy practical production work and can commit to a winery’s busy vintage period.
Cleaning, wet floors and changing shifts are central to the job. Winemaking is not interchangeable with eligible vineyard work for visa purposes.
Cellar crews support wine production: cleaning and sanitising equipment, moving hoses, assisting transfers and taking instructions around tanks and processing equipment. Vintage can involve early starts, nights and a changing workload as grapes arrive.
Wet floors, cleaning chemicals and machinery need careful procedures. Tank entry is a specialised confined-space task; never assume a general cellar-hand job authorises it.
Arrange housing and transport around the actual winery, not just its wine region. Vineyard cultivation and winemaking are distinct: Home Affairs excludes winemaking from plant and animal cultivation specified work.
Some vintage intakes train beginners for cellar cleaning, hose work, transfers and production support. A forklift licence is useful for dedicated operating roles but not a universal entry requirement.
Vintage normally needs a block of availability rather than occasional shifts. Recruitment for 2027 includes January–May work and minimum-stay requirements. Nights, weekends and long peak shifts are common.
Winemaking and cellar production are different from grape cultivation. Do not count a cellar job as eligible plant cultivation just because it is at a vineyard; use the specified-work guide for the actual duties.
Forklift training is useful for cellar roles that move pallets, bins or barrels. It is separate from general cellar work: some seasonal roles are entry-level, while forklift positions can require practical operating experience as well as the licence.
Beginner LF training and assessment takes three days, advertised from $770 (17 October 2026). Regional prices differ and the SafeWork SA licence fee is additional. This applies to forklift duties, not every role in this job category.
Direct employer and specialist recruitment routes. Current vacancies and general expressions of interest are identified in the descriptions.
Yenda, NSW
Use the official careers portal for vintage cellar-hand recruitment and search Yenda or your preferred winery. A previously indexed 2027 advert was unavailable on recheck; no opening is confirmed. Verify shifts, housing and work-rights requirements for the actual intake.
Australian wine regions
Use the official vacancy search for vintage and cellar roles. Select Australia and read the winery-specific requirements; vineyard, cellar and cellar-door jobs involve different work.
Barossa Valley · South Australia
Dorrien Estate recruits vintage cellar staff through Endeavour Group. Explore its wine-production careers and search for Dorrien Estate or vintage roles to find the next intake and its entry requirements.
Irymple, Victoria
2027 vintage recruitment welcomes beginners and experienced workers. Minimum 12-week commitment; the page requests visa validity to July 2027. Forklift experience is preferred, not essential for every position.
Put your start date, available months, current location and work rights near the top of your CV. Add relevant hands-on tasks, any licences and whether you need accommodation; this lets the recruiter match you to a workable placement.
Apply to vintage intakes before the season starts. State the whole period you can work and your availability for rotating shifts; wineries recruit a seasonal team rather than only filling same-day vacancies.
| Work / experience | Hourly pay | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Wine Award Grade 1, first six months | $25.79 | Adult permanent ordinary hourly minimum |
| Same grade, casual | $32.24 | Includes 25% casual loading |
Rates from 1 July 2026, before tax and excluding super. Shiftwork and overtime can increase vintage earnings. This is a Wine Industry Award benchmark for covered production work; fruit-picking rates are not a substitute for the cellar classification.
Casella Family Brands recruitment
Treasury Wine Estates recruitment
Sources checked 17 October 2026.
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