Sonoma says goodbye to one of Pinot Noir's early advocates.
Walter Schug, the
man who championed the cause of Pinot Noir in Sonoma County long before
it found fame, has died at his home, aged 80, according to his family.
"He was a Pinot Noir niche person long before the movie Sideways came along and everybody was demanding it," his daughter Claudia Schuetz said. "He didn’t jump on a bandwagon. He was pushing it from the very start."
A native of Germany, Schug grew up beside the Rhine in Assmannshausen,
on the region's only Pinot Noir estate. He worked his first harvest in
1953, and was an apprentice at nine different wine estates in the Rheingau region.
In 1959, after finishing his studies with a diploma in viticulture and enology at the prestigious German wine institute of Geisenheim, Schug left for California. He spent a year expanding his knowledge while working at a winery and taking extension courses at UC Davis. Two years later, he returned to California for good, with his wife Gertrud, to work as the assistant superintendent at California Grape Products Corporation.
In 1966 he joined Gallo as the family's head of grower relations and quality control for Northern California. Gallo's involvement on the North Coast meant Schug got to know more than 500 independent growers and several thousand acres of prime vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino County.
By 1973, he joined Joseph Phelps to establish Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa Valley, and that year began his 10 vintages as vice president and winemaker for the new enterprise. Among Schug's contributions to Napa's burgeoning fame were the first proprietary Bordeaux-Style blend (Insignia); vineyard-designated wines like Backus and Eisele Vineyards; and the first varietal Syrah in the US. He was also a pioneer of late-harvest wines.
By 1980, however, there was little call in California for Pinot Noir, and Phelps ceased production of the varietal. Reluctant to stop working with the grape of his childhood home, and firmly believing in its future, Schug came to an arrangement with Joseph Phelps that he would continue his regular work at the winery, but produce Pinot Noir under his own private label.
Three years later, his private project had grown to such an extent that he made the decision to leave Phelps and concentrate on the Schug brand. Since then the winery has grown from a 2000-case production to 30,000 cases a year. He celebrated his 50th vintage in 2003.
His wife predeceased him and the couple are survived by their three children, Axel, who is the winery's managing partner, Claudia, the company's European sales director, and Andrea Vonk, an accountant.
"He was a Pinot Noir niche person long before the movie Sideways came along and everybody was demanding it," his daughter Claudia Schuetz said. "He didn’t jump on a bandwagon. He was pushing it from the very start."
In 1959, after finishing his studies with a diploma in viticulture and enology at the prestigious German wine institute of Geisenheim, Schug left for California. He spent a year expanding his knowledge while working at a winery and taking extension courses at UC Davis. Two years later, he returned to California for good, with his wife Gertrud, to work as the assistant superintendent at California Grape Products Corporation.
In 1966 he joined Gallo as the family's head of grower relations and quality control for Northern California. Gallo's involvement on the North Coast meant Schug got to know more than 500 independent growers and several thousand acres of prime vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino County.
By 1973, he joined Joseph Phelps to establish Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa Valley, and that year began his 10 vintages as vice president and winemaker for the new enterprise. Among Schug's contributions to Napa's burgeoning fame were the first proprietary Bordeaux-Style blend (Insignia); vineyard-designated wines like Backus and Eisele Vineyards; and the first varietal Syrah in the US. He was also a pioneer of late-harvest wines.
By 1980, however, there was little call in California for Pinot Noir, and Phelps ceased production of the varietal. Reluctant to stop working with the grape of his childhood home, and firmly believing in its future, Schug came to an arrangement with Joseph Phelps that he would continue his regular work at the winery, but produce Pinot Noir under his own private label.
Three years later, his private project had grown to such an extent that he made the decision to leave Phelps and concentrate on the Schug brand. Since then the winery has grown from a 2000-case production to 30,000 cases a year. He celebrated his 50th vintage in 2003.
His wife predeceased him and the couple are survived by their three children, Axel, who is the winery's managing partner, Claudia, the company's European sales director, and Andrea Vonk, an accountant.
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