דברי הימים א, פרק כ״ז, פסוק כ״ז

Managing a royal wine estate required precise organization, leading to a natural division of labor that separated the agricultural care of the vines from the actual production of the wine. Every stage of the winemaking process was carefully entrusted to a specific official to ensure the highest quality of work.

The first area of responsibility belonged to Shimei the Ramathite, who oversaw the physical vineyards. The commentators agree that this role focused entirely on the agricultural labor required to maintain the land. This included routine but essential tasks such as hoeing the soil and pruning the vines [רש״י]. His management covered the entire growing season, taking responsibility for the health and development of the vines right up until the time came to gather the grapes [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

Once the grapes were ready, the responsibility shifted to a second official, Zabdi the Shiphmite. His domain was the produce itself, focusing specifically on the harvested grapes rather than the land [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His duties began exactly where the first official's ended, starting with the gathering of the fruit [רד״ק]. From there, he managed the entire physical transformation of the harvest. This involved overseeing the heavy labor of treading the grapes in the winepress and directing the production process, culminating in the safe storage of the finished wine in the royal cellars [רש״י, מצודת דוד].