History
Founded in 1980, Schug Carneros Estate Winery is the showcase and life-long dream of one of California’s most celebrated winemakers, Walter Schug. Family owned and operated, the winery is a reflection of many decades of Schug family involvement in the production of fine wines in Europe and California; both Walter and his wife, Gertrud, came from distinguished winemaking families of Germany.
After creating many of the industry’s fine wine benchmarks at Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Walter Schug went on to pursue his life-long passion; the fragile Pinot Noir grape. In order to capture the distinctive character of the finest French Burgundies, he chose the Carneros Appellation for the establishment of a 50 acre Estate vineyard and winery.
Nestled on a hilltop in the midst of their Estate Vineyard in Carneros, the winery exhibits the rich European heritage of the Schug family. The Post and Beam architecture reminiscent of the Rhine River Valley, and underground barrel-aging caves provide a uniquely European setting for the tasting of Schug’s fine Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. The experience is enhanced by sweeping views of the Sonoma Valley and the San Francisco Bay.
The unique style of Schug Pinot Noir and Chardonnay captures traditional European values, where wine and food go hand in hand. Schug Carneros Estate Winery combines old world understanding and tradition with the most advanced winemaking technology available today. By using only the finest grapes available in California, and maintaining traditional European winemaking values, these wines have gained acceptance worldwide as true contemporary classics. Today, the Schug legacy is carried on through children; Axel, Claudia and Andrea.