Wine Industry Award

If you operate in the wine industry in Australia - growing wine grapes, making wine, or running a cellar door - and you employ staff who are not otherwise award-free, the Wine Industry Award 2020 (MA000090) is generally the relevant award, and it extends to cellar door sales and tasting. A standalone restaurant on the estate may instead fall under a hospitality award, and broader horticulture under the Horticulture Award. Confirm coverage for each part of your operation against the Fair Work source before setting pay and conditions.

MA000090 sets minimum rates against classification levels defined by the skills, training and responsibilities of each role, covering vineyard and viticulture work, winery and cellar production, cellar door sales and laboratory roles. You assign each employee to the level matching the duties they actually perform, including any qualifications, then pay at least that level's minimum rate. Job title alone is not enough; assess the real work. Look up the current rate for the classification on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Vintage brings a surge of seasonal and casual labour and long, intensive shifts during harvest, crush and ferment. These workers are still covered by the award and entitled to at least the relevant minimum rate, casual loading, any minimum engagement, and overtime and penalty rates where they apply. Extended vintage shifts may attract their own loadings. Engage vintage labour on the correct award terms and confirm the seasonal, casual and overtime provisions against the Fair Work source.

Casual employees in the wine industry, including seasonal vintage workers, are paid an hourly rate plus a casual loading, in place of paid leave and other permanent entitlements. Across modern awards this loading is commonly 25%, but you should treat that as a guide only and confirm the exact figure MA000090 sets, along with any minimum engagement and casual conversion rules, against the Fair Work source before running pay.

Ordinary hours worked on Saturdays and Sundays attract weekend penalties on top of the minimum rate, which is common for cellar door tasting rooms and for winery work during vintage. As a general guide across awards, Saturday loadings commonly run around 25% and Sunday around 50%, and they can combine with shift loadings. The wine award sets its own figures, so confirm the current Saturday and Sunday rates for the relevant role and employment type on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Work on a public holiday is paid at a premium under MA000090, and as a guide public holiday rates across awards can reach up to 150% of the ordinary rate. Employees who would normally work that day but do not because it is a public holiday are generally entitled to their ordinary pay. Because cellar doors often trade on holidays, confirm the current public holiday entitlement for each role against the Fair Work source before processing that pay run.

Overtime applies when an employee works beyond the ordinary hours set by the award, such as exceeding daily or weekly limits or working outside the agreed spread of hours - something that arises routinely during the long days of vintage. The award sets overtime rates that step up after the first couple of hours, with higher rates on Sundays and public holidays. Identify the overtime hours and confirm the exact multipliers for your situation on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Yes. Part-time employees work fewer than full-time hours on a reasonably predictable pattern, and the award requires the agreed hours and days to be set out in writing, with changes also agreed in writing. Part-timers receive pro-rata leave and the same minimum classification rates as full-timers. This is common for cellar door and year-round winery roles; review the part-time provisions in MA000090 for the full requirements.

Where the wine award provides for junior employees or apprentices, they are paid on a percentage scale set against the relevant adult or tradesperson rate, with the percentage rising as the junior ages or the apprentice progresses. Because the underlying adult rate changes with the annual review, the dollar figure for a junior or apprentice also changes. Confirm both the percentage and the resulting rate on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

The award provides for industry allowances that can include a first aid allowance for designated first aiders, a leading hand allowance for those in charge of others, allowances for tasks such as wet work or confined-space work, and meal and travel-related allowances in qualifying circumstances. Some are paid per shift or per occasion and are easy to overlook, particularly during vintage. Identify which apply to each role and confirm the current amounts on the Fair Work Pay Calculator, as they change with the annual review.

Yes. Annual leave loading is an extra payment on top of base pay when an employee takes paid annual leave, and under this award it is 17.5% of the ordinary rate. It applies to full-time and part-time employees taking annual leave. Casuals, including seasonal vintage workers, do not accrue annual leave. Apply the loading when processing leave payments for permanent staff and confirm the calculation against the Fair Work source.

Minimum rates and many allowances are reviewed each year in the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review and take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. The 2026 review increased modern award minimums by 4.75%. You must apply the new rates from that pay period, not the calendar date, and because vintage often falls in a different part of the year, make sure the rates you use for seasonal labour are current on the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

Start by confirming each employee's correct classification across vineyard, winery and cellar door, then apply the current minimum rate, the right weekend, shift and public holiday penalties, vintage overtime and any allowances, refreshing every figure from the Fair Work Pay Calculator after each 1 July increase. Accurate records of hours matter most during the long days of vintage. Valont runs award-compliant payroll for employers like vineyards and wineries, mapping classifications, seasonal labour, penalties and allowances so the right amount is paid every cycle.