OCCUPATION: WINE TASTER/SALES CONSULTANT

Name: Ken Rowell

Company: Wine Club, Santa Ana

Thumbs up: “Because I have a passion for wine, I find it fascinating. It is such a diverse product. There is the curiosity about what’s in the bottle-it’s the unknown. Until you have tasted the wine and experienced it, you don’t know what’s in the bottle. It’s a personal passion. And this is the place to work on that passion--where I get to taste all those wines.”

Thumbs down: “There is nothing I dislike about the job. I know most people can’t say that.” Next step: “There are related fields, such as writing about wines.”

Advice: “The key to being a good wine taster/sales consultant is not to become narrow-minded in the sense of locking onto a specific type of wine or a specific producer. Be adventurous rather than safe--it helps broaden your experiences.”

Salary range: According to Ronn Wiegand, publisher of the newsletter Restaurant Wines, since all wine-tasting involves some sort of sales, compensation could be in the form of salary or commission or a combination of both. The range is from $28,000 to $75,000.

Educational and training requirements: No formal education is required. “Up to a point wine-tasting can be taught, but it takes being shown the ropes by someone who knows more than you,” Wiegand said. “Most companies look at an individual’s background and experience, and some are willing to bring them up through the ranks.”

Size of work force: Small. In Orange County about 3,500 people, or 0.3% of the labor force, work as sommeliers, bartenders, sales consultants, winery representatives, wine writers, etc.

Expected demand: Wiegand, who holds the world’s two highest wine-tasting degrees, suggests that growth for the industry is expected to be slight but steady as wineries become more savvy about marketing their products.

Job description: Working for a winery would involve blending; an educational tester would be sent out on the road to lead tasting and sales events; a sommelier selects wines to go on wine lists, from which they are poured by the glass or sold at banquets. “There are some sales involved in any of these positions,” Wiegand says.

For more information: The book “Wines and Vines Buyers Guide” can be helpful, or call the Wine Institute in San Francisco at (415) 512-0151.