Winemaking and Spirits Distillation Internship (July - December) 2027

GALLO; Modesto (CA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

GALLO is seeking motivated interns for a six-month, on-site internship across Winemaking, Research Winemaking, Spirits Distillation, and Enology at California locations including Modesto, Fresno, Livingston, and Healdsburg.

You will gain hands-on experience, participate in evaluations, tastings, and production trials, and present a project to GALLO's management team at the end of the internship. Opportunities are available July through December 2027.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled at a college or university and working towards a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree OR have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s

Responsibilities

• Participate in product evaluations and trials including sample acquisition, production practices and fermentation monitoring.
• Participate in wine tasting and sensory evaluation.
• Perform fining, blending and other winemaking trials.
• Participate in the production, sensory evaluation and bottling of commercial wines and beverages.
• Grape receiving, crushing, and pressing.
• Fermentation monitoring, filtration, ingredient additions, and post-fermentation treatments.
• Assist with bench, pilot, and plant scale experiments, including recording and documenting data.
• Participate in spirits tasting and sensory evaluation.

Education

Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree

Job description

Job Type: Full-time

Work Category: Onsite

Application Close Date: 11/15/2026

Sponsorship: Not Available

Compensation: $24.00 - $28.00 / hour

Duration: 6 months (July - December, 2027)

*Important Information*

Applications will not be reviewed until the application close date.

Candidates must be available for the entire duration of the internship to qualify.

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We are GALLO, We're a family-owned company with a 90+ year legacy, that’s consistently recognized as a Glassdoor "Best Places to Work." We have 130+ brands in our total alcohol beverage portfolio including wine, malt, spirits, and ready-to-drink beverages. We're home to the #1 wine and spirits brands in the U.S. - Barefoot Wine & High Noon and are the official sponsors of the NFL, NHL, UFC, and PGA of America.

View our Corporate Values and Mission Statement here.

A Taste of What You'll Do

Build hands-on experience in winemaking, research winemaking, spirits distillation, or enology research with GALLO. During this six-month internship, you will work alongside experienced professionals, gain technical training, and contribute to the production and research behind a diverse portfolio of wines and spirits.

Depending on your placement, you may support commercial-scale winemaking, produce small-lot research wines, assist with spirits production, or help execute enology research projects. Your work may include monitoring fermentations, supporting grape receiving and processing, conducting bench and production trials, collecting and documenting data, evaluating process improvements, and participating in sensory evaluations.

You will contribute to corporate initiatives and research projects while developing your own project to present to Gallo's management team at the end of the internship. Opportunities are available at select California production sites, with programs running from July through December. Join a collaborative environment where curiosity, technical problem-solving, and continuous improvement help shape the future of wine and spirits.

Placement Opportunities:

WINEMAKING

Locations: Modesto, Fresno, & Livingston.

Interns will work and learn from winemakers responsible for the production of table wines, sparkling wines, flavored wines and other beverages.

What You Will Do:

• Participate in product evaluations and trials including, but not limited to, sample acquisition, production practices and fermentation monitoring.
• Participate in wine tasting and sensory evaluation.
• Perform fining, blending and other winemaking trials.
• Participate in the production, sensory evaluation and bottling of commercial wines and beverages.

RESEARCH WINEMAKING

Location: Modesto, & Livingston

Interns will assist in all aspects of small-lot wine production in our Modesto (10-gallon scale), Livingston (600-gallon scale), or Healdsburg (600-gallon scale) research wineries, which produce over 500 table, sparkling and dessert wines per season. Interns work hands-on - from grape crush to bottling - in every step of the winemaking process. Our facilities support statewide research programs and allow interns to produce wines from grapes grown in many different winegrowing regions of California. Interns will also gain experience in producing a wide variety of wine styles and types, including white & red table, and sparkling & dessert wines. Interns will also work with dozens of grape varieties and gain experience with a wide range of processing and winemaking methods.

What You Will Do:

• Grape receiving, crushing, and pressing.
• Fermentation monitoring, filtration, ingredient additions, and post-fermentation treatments.
• Assist with bench, pilot, and plant scale experiments, including recording and documenting data.
• Participate in wine tasting and sensory evaluation.

SPIRITS DISTILLATION

Location: Modesto, Livingston and Fresno, CA

This internship provides students with the opportunity to learn from experienced distillers producing a variety of spirits. Spirits-making is an area of rapid growth for Gallo and the environment is dynamic as we learn how to distill and craft new beverages.

What You Will Do:

• Manage bench-scale trials to problem solve current production issues.
• Evaluate process improvements in making and managing our spirits portfolio.
• Monitor fermentation and distillation facilities during harvest.
• Participate in spirits tasting and sensory evaluation.

ENOLOGY RESEARCH

Location: Modesto, CA

Enology Research Interns assist with research and production support activities including planning an executing experiments and trials at laboratory, pilot, and plant scales. Interns participate in cross-functional projects that contribute to improvements in grape growing, winemaking practices, and wine quality.

What You Will Do:

• Facilitate the scale-up and commercialization of research advancements in winemaking processes.
• Collect experimental data, participate in the analysis and interpretation of results, and support the creation of technical reports.
• Fermentation monitoring, filtration, ingredient additions, and post-fermentation treatments.
• Grape receiving, crushing, and pressing.
• Participate in wine tasting and sensory evaluation.

What You'll Need

• Currently enrolled at a college or university and working towards a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree OR have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s