Carmel Magazine

Carmel Magazine, Spring 2018

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Only 600 cases of Cabernet were produced in 1989 under the Scheid Vineyards label, last year, Scott says, "we shipped 600,000 cases of wine." "My dad finally let me in the wine cellar after 30 years," he laughs. After the early days of "happily growing grapes and cherry picking the best ones for other wineries like Kendall Jackson and Coppola," Scheid Vineyards went from providing grapes for 2-3,000 cases of wine for other winer- ies to the current 2-2.5 million cases a year. With four microclimates over 4,000 acres, an astounding amount of varieties are produced. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are grown in the northernmost portion of the 70-mile range of vineyards. In the Greenfield area, vibrant and balanced grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewur tztraminer, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Albarino thrive. The San Lucas appellation fea- tures fruit-forward wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Semillon, Viognier, Muscat Canelli, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Primitivo, Cinsault, Sangiovese and Tempranillo. The warmer Hames Valley appellation produces full- bodied wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Malbec, Mourvedre, Marsanne, Roussanne, Cabernet Franc, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cão. A sales force helps brands such as District 7 find a home nationally, along with exclusive labels made for supermarkets from Whole Foods to Kroeger to Trader Joes. "Monterey was underappreciated over the years," Scott says. "It does so well with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and to the south, where it is warmer, Petite Bordeaux and Petite Sirah and Cabernet. "The thing about this business is you get one production run a year," Scott continues. "You don't even get to decide exactly how many raw materials you will have. Sometimes it's not enough and sometimes it's too much. Mother Nature decides. It takes a long time to figure out which direction you should have rows facing. There's a lot of trial and error and it's a hard business to get good at. I think we are kind of hitting our stride now in our 47th year." The Carmel tasting room is located on the SE corner of San Carlos and 7th in downtown Carmel. The Greenfield tasting room is located at 1972 Hobson Ave., Greenfield. For more information, go to www.scheidfamilywines.com 134 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 "At last count, we have 39 different varieties and 11 estate vineyards," Scott Scheid (second from left) says of the 4,000 acres of vineyards Scheid Family Wines owns within 70 miles and many microclimates throughout Monterey County. Photo: Michaela Joy Photography Young Scott and his siblings were encouraged to learn the value of "hard work, making money, and staying out of trouble" by spending summers in the vineyards replacing end posts, working on trellises, tying vines, removing suckers and working on wire irrigation.

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