| Schug Producer website
Carneros winery founded in 1980 by Walter and Gertrud Schug. The winery is located on 50 acres planted in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which is the winery focus. As of 2008, the winery also had releases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and a sparkling wine. These other varietals are purchased under long term contract from growers. Walter Schug began his training at Geisenheim, a German wine institute. In the early 1960's the Schugs moved to California from Germany where Walter went to work for Joseph Phelps. The legendary Phelp's Insignia wines of the 1970's were crafted by Schug. Part of the reason he left Phelps was to produce Pinot Noir. Stylistically, Schug wines tend to be produced in the "European" style with lower alcohol levels and more balance than has been typical for California wines lately. European wine sales account for about 30% of Schug's production. In addition to Walter Schug, the other winemaker is Michael Cox who joined the winery in 1995. Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountySonoma ValleySonoma County, California, is one of the most important winegrowing regions in the whole of the United States. Vines have been planted here since the 1850s and, apart from the inevitable hiatus brought about by Prohibition, the county's relationship with wine has been prolific and unbroken.
Viticulturally speaking, Sonoma County is divided into three distinct sections: Sonoma Valley, Northern Sonoma and Sonoma Coast. Each of these has its own AVA title and encompasses several sub-AVAs within its boundaries. |