In wine memorium: Walter Schug, 80

“Humble, authentic, tireless, eloquent, and funny,” is how Claudia Schug Schuetz described her father, Walter Schug, who died peacefully at his home, surrounded by family, on October 10, just weeks after his 80th birthday.

Schug founded Schug Winery in 1980, having started it while working as Vice President and Winemaker of Joseph Phelps Vineyard. Schug Carneros Estate Winery, located in southern Sonoma Valley’s Carneros region, is known for accessible, affordable, consistent old world style Pinot Noir.

A love of wine came naturally for Schug, who was born in Germany’s famed Rhein River Valley. He grew up in Assmannshausen, the largest and oldest Pinot Noir estate in the country, where his father worked.

Keeping with the tradition of young winemakers, Schug worked his first harvest in 1954 and interned at nine wineries in Hessen, the land of Riesling. After earning his degree in viticulture, he moved to California. Schug became the Head of Grower Relations and Quality Control for Northern California for Julio Gallo, who asked Schug personally, to take over the position.

Schug would go on to help found Joseph Phelps Vineyards. At Phelps, he served as Vice President and Winemaker for ten years, creating coveted Pinot Noir and proprietary blends.

In 1983, he left Phelps to focus on his own wine. In 1990, he became a resident of our beloved Sonoma Valley, building the  winery in the southern part of Carneros, where it remains today. Schug operated the facility with his wife, Gertrud, by his side, until her death in 2007.

In the wake of family owned wineries such as Benziger and B.R. Cohn selling to large companies, Schug remains one of the few family-owned, large scale wineries in Sonoma Valley: daughter Claudia handles European distribution, son Axel runs the day-to-day operations, and daughter Andrea serves as financial advisor.

Eventually, Schug passed his winemaking torch onto Mike Cox. “We lost a gentleman of the highest order,” shared Cox, who marked his 20th harvest with the winery this year, “His influence on me, both personally and professionally, is immeasurable.”

“He demonstrated unwavering integrity as he continued to produced elegant wines when blockbuster wines were in fashion,”  Schug Schuetz expressed, reflecting on the quality and consistency of the wine her father produced.

With their ruby red color, the wine’s are velvety, with fruitful, pleasant scents. Schug’s were some of the first Pinot Noir wines I fell in love with as a young wine drinker in the Midwest. I am often pleased to find half bottles of his Pinot on wine lists throughout the world, something I always appreciate as a solo traveler and diner.

So tonight, raise a toast to Walter Schug and his fine character, his quality product, his dedication to family and fine wine. Ruhe in Frieden Mr. Schug, Ruhe in Frieden.