walter schug , owner and winemaster

W ALTER S CHUG ,
O WNER AND WINEMASTER
Standing on a rise behind his namesake winery south of the town of Sonoma, Walter Schug sees
more than the Carneros appellation that he helped to found. From this special vantage point,
Walter surveys a California wine industry that has been transformed from its forgotten status in
1959 to the level of international quality leader it enjoys today. Modestly, Walter simply acknowledges an involvement in this transformation. Of course, there is much more to the story. Walter
and impact on California wine make him an icon in the industry.
Schug’s
“It was the great potential I
saw here, and the opportunity
B ORN IN THE W INERY
Walter Schug was born in Germany in 1935. He was raised on the grounds of the Staatsweingut
Assmannshausen, one of Germany’s top Pinot Noir estate, which his father managed. His youth was
spent playing in the winery and vineyards, and working alongside his father. There was little question
that Walter Schug would one day make wine. His education would take him to the prestigious German
wine institute of Geisenheim, but only after satisfying the entrance requirement at that time of four years of
the renowned wine estate of Dr. Buerklin Wolf and a year as Bottling Supervisor for Eagle Bonded Brothers
to be part of its development,
that convinced me to come to
California.”
W alter Schug,
Owner/Winemaster
academic program at Geisenheim, leading to his degree in viticulture and enology in 1959.
His studies completed, he was invited by the California Grape Products Corporation in Delano to come
emigrate. “I expected to follow in my father’s footsteps,” Walter recalls, “but it was the great potential I
san in California and the opportunity to be part of its development that convinced me to come to California.”
Relations and Quality Control for Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino Counties. Gallo’s relationship with
nearly a third of the vineyards in this area gave Walter the opporunity to become acquainted with some
and vice president at the Phelps new Napa Valley winery.
S ETTING B ENCHMARKS FOR THE I NDUSTRY
Over the next ten years, Walter Schug launched into one of the most important streaks of innovation in California winemaking history. At Phelps, Walter produced America’s
proprietary
Bordeaux-style blend, the critically acclaimed “Insignia.” He further developed Napa Valley’s reputation as a source of great Cabernet, producing the single-vineyard bottlings from the Eisele and
Bacchus vineyards. His groundbreaking work with botrytis-a ected Riesling and Gewurztraminer
would help r
the very idea of California dessert wine. Walter would go on to be the
to
bottle a varietal-labeled Syrah. Under Walter’s hand, Joseph Phelps Vineyards would become one of
California’s top wineries. But it wasn’t enough.
“There was never a moment when Pinot Noir was anything but the real object of my desire,”
recalls Walter. “Mr. Phelps knew this and let me dabble with the best Pinot grapes I could
Eventually though, tough market conditions for Pinot and rising Cabernet sales led to the end of
the Phelps Pinot Noir after the 1979 vintage.
So in 1980, determined not to give up on Pinot Noir, Walter bought the same grapes he had
wine under his own name. Walter continued at
worked with at Phelps and produced the
Phelps until 1983, when he left to focus full time on his new label.
“Working with Mr. Phelps was a wonderful opportunity. His vision allowed me to test myself and
my ideas,” says Walter, “and follow my passion for Pinot Noir.”
The
wine under the Schug label was the 1980 Heinemann Vineyard Pinot Noir from grapes
grown on a Napa Valley hillside vineyard. Though this vineyard launched the brand, Walter’s search
for great Pinot Noir eventually took him to the Carneros region.
over
C ARNEROS A S W ALTER ’ S S OURCE OF G REAT PINOT N OIR
Walter’s work with Carneros growers while at Gallo and Joseph Phelps convinced him that this
region was capable of producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. His early Carneros bottlings came from Andy Beckstoffer’s “Los Amigos Vineyard,” representing the first single-vineyard
designated wines from this important grower. In 1985 Walter would participate in founding the
Carneros Quality Alliance. Ironically, the early Schug vintages saw Chardonnay produced in greater
quantities than Pinot Noir. Walter explains, “Chardonnay subsidized my passion for Pinot.”
Today, Carneros Pinot Noir leads the way at Schug Carneros Estate. And the pursuit of great Pinot
has always been a family affair. Until her passing in 2007, Walter’s wife Gertrud, herself the daughter
of a German winery manager, was the Chief Financial Officer. Son Axel was in charge of marketing and,
after Walter’s retirement in 2007, became the Managing Partner. Daughter Claudia Schug Schuetz,
who lives in Germany, oversees the promotion and sales of Schug wines in Europe. Walter continures
as consultant and winemaker emeritus. In 2010 Schug Carneros Estate celebrated its 30th year and
Walter his 57th harvest.