Winemaker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a winemaker is $88,400 per annum, before tax, up $18,600 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Earnings move with the size of the winery and the level of the role, with chief and senior winemakers on considerably more than assistants and new entrants.
- Vintage work is often seasonal or contract, so a year's income depends partly on how many vintages you pick up, here or overseas.
- A track record with premium labels tends to do more for pay than further study.
The median salary rose by $18,600 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than winemaker
The largest typical pay rise is $25,700 a year, moving into Food Technologist.
- Food Technologist+$25,700/yr
- Food Scientist+$25,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher winemaker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time winemaker salary is $88,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Laboratory analysis and Food safety and hygiene tend to command a premium over general winemaker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Food Technologist pays a typical $25,700 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Winemaker salary questions
How much do winemakers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a winemaker is $88,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is winemaker pay rising or falling?
The median winemaker salary is up $18,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than winemaker?
Food Technologist pays a typical $25,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to winemaker.
Related salaries
- Distiller salary
- Food Technologist salary
- Food Quality Assurance Officer salary
- Food Scientist salary
- Cellar Hand salary
- Viticulturist salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.