After winning a winery contest, this woman will be paid $10k a month to sip while living rent-free

If anyone had told Lindsay Perry that she would soon be paid to sip wine while living rent-free on a luxurious winery, she probably wouldn’t have believed the person. But that is her real-life story now after beating out more than 7,000 applications to get a dream job in a winery in California, in a contest that made headlines across the world.

28-year-old Perry of Austin, Texas, will be paid $10,000 a month for one year, as well as free wine and rent, after coming on top of the Murphy-Goode Winery’s “Really Goode Job” search. She will also be supplied 30 cases of Murphy-Goode wine to take home as compensation for time spent at the winery.

First launched in 2009, “A Really Goode Job” became a revolutionary campaign to “create a real job opportunity in the wine industry at a time of economic distress and high unemployment,” according to Wine Industry Advisor. Family-owned winery Murphy-Goode has brought back the campaign as the country faces a “new set of challenges”.

Perry will from next month learn the growing and dynamic world of e-commerce while at the winery. She will also work with a team to drive awareness and build demand for Murphy Goode Winery, the company said. She will further help in winery operation while shadowing winemaker Dave Ready Jr. and the winemaking team during harvest. Perry will shadow Ready Jr. for 90 days before moving into new roles based on her interests.

“Working for Murphy-Goode Winery will present a unique challenge and represent a big pivot in my life. I’ll be jumping into the wine industry in the best way possible,” Perry said, according to Wine Industry Advisor.

She added: “Having the opportunity to shadow Dave, learn to make wine, and grow professionally through this year of exploration, will change the trajectory of my life.”

Perry, who currently works in sports marketing, recently started learning about wine and completed two certification classes with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). “I’ve completed WSET Levels and l and ll with the Napa Valley Wine Academy, so I’m able to recall hundreds of wine facts at the drop of a hat,” she said in her application video.

After having received over 7,000 submissions from around the world, Murphy-Goode welcomed the top 17 finalists to Healdsburg in July for in-person interviews and county exploration. At the end of the day, Perry was chosen for her creativity, sense of humor, drive, and passion for wine, according to the winery.

Perry will be joined by another contestant winner — 28-year-old Veronica Hebbard of Orlando, Florida, who is an engineer.

“When we started out on this journey, we cast the net wide to find candidates with unique experiences and points of view,” Murphy-Goode winemaker Ready Jr. said in a news release. “I’m looking forward to working with Lindsay and Veronica this harvest, but also learning from each of them and seeing what new ideas they will bring to the job.”