This study examines the role of school and family education in supporting individuals' career path, specifically in the wine and wine tourism environments. To gain a more in-depth understanding of this dimension, key underpinnings of social learning and family social capital theory are considered. Owners and managers of 32 wineries from two emerging economies participated through face-to-face interviews. While there was general agreement regarding the significance of school education, the relevance of family education was perceived more strongly, including in instilling effort, values and codes of conduct, thus, influencing participants' journey towards a managerial or ownership role in the wine industry. Assimilating earlier stages of one's life, vicarious learning, self-efficacy, and family social capital were manifested through intrinsic principles, and were further enhanced through learning gained via work experience and continuous knowledge gathering. A model highlighting links between the empirical findings and the above theoretical underpinnings is proposed.