Cash compensation in the wine industry increased 3.3 percent, outpacing the national average of 2.9 percent (across all industries), according to the 2010 Salary Survey Report.

Overall, salaries fell by 1.3 percent—but since bonus payouts jumped by 24.5 percent, the total cash compensation in the wine industry showed an increase over 2009, reported Donna Bowman of Western Management Group, a Los Gatos, California-based research firm that has conducted this survey since 1991.

Results of the survey reveal that key positions in the wine industry increased an average of (coincidentally)1.3 percent in 2010 over the previous year, compared to 4.1 percent in 2009 and 4.7 percent in 2008. Among those 23 key positions, the VP of sales’ salary decreased 5 percent, compared to a 6.3 percent increase in 2009. For the first time in many years, winemakers’ average salaries decreased, be it slightly.

In the direct to consumer category, more social media jobs are in demand this year--some paying up to $100,000.

The complete salary survey will be available in the upcoming October issue of Wine Business Monthly. Click here to subscribe.