One of Truckee’s best kept secrets, PJ’s restaurant at Grays
Crossing, played host to 40+ Tahoe Mountain Club members last month,
inviting club members to join them and their talented Chef for a special
evening of food and wine pairing. The guest of honor, and the esteemed guest
host of the event, was Walter Schug, owner and winemaster of Schug Winery,
located in both Carneros and Sonoma, California. Walter, a German immigrant who has spent his
entire life around winemaking, was an incredibly personable and gracious host,
with a lifetime of history which he so gracefully shared with his
audience. His presentation included a
summary of European and American wine history over the past century, including
an interesting commentary on how America “lost” its way with wine for a time,
shortly after Prohibition began. Schug’s
own father was a wine-maker, focusing primarily on Pinot Noir grapes, a very
fragile and easily mis-handled varietal which Walter considers his favorite
wine to this day. Schug’s journey in the
wine business took him to America, working for various large distributors of
Red and White table wine, all the while enabling him to expand upon his own
varieties, starting with his beloved Pinot Noir. Now considered one of the most knowledgeable
Pinot Noir experts in the world, Walter modestly speaks of his achievements,
but it is clear the love he has for the art of wine-making has no bounds.
Our dining experience started with a greeting of Walter’s
unique Rouge de Noirs, a sparkling Pinot Noir.
Never having tasted anything like this, it was quite the back drop to an
evening of many more delicious surprises.
Noshing on an appetizer of strawberries and goat cheese resting on
butterleaf lettuce drizzled with basil, the sparkling wine was the perfect
contrast. We were soon seated for the
start of Walter’s introduction, and poured a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, from his
Sonoma vineyard. Paired with giant
prawns wrapped in bacon with a heavy cream sauce, the crisp wine again was
complimented by way of contrast in the food.
The chef is a fan of creating food which both contrasts with and
sustains the wine matched. Conversing with our table mates, Dan and Jamie from
Woodland, we decided to have our own wine commentary and critique as dinner
progressed. Very happy fractional owners
on Trapper’s Place at Old Greenwood since 2008, Dan and Jamie proved to be a
perfect pairing for my husband and myself as well, with similar interests in
heli-skiing and enjoying the Tahoe life.
We were happily enjoying our Sauvignon Blanc, when the next pour came, a
Chardonnay from the Carneros vineyard.
Hold the phone! This was an incredible oak-barreled Chardonnay, not very
buttery, but with hints of fruit and oak and smooth on the tongue. As velvety as the wine, was the Peking Duck
we were served, with a very delicious, very fat polenta and oyster mushrooms
(also cooked in the duck fat). The meal
was clearly not trying to appeal to the Weight Watchers of the room, but as a
special treat it was appreciated and inhaled by every diner there. Our fourth course was equally delicious, and
made my husband very happy: a very tender beef fillet with braised potatoes and
hollandaise sauce. This was paired with
Walter’s beloved Pinot Noir, and it became tastefully apparent why Walter loves
this varietal. After giving us the
pitfalls of producing such a delicate wine, our appreciation for creating a
very enjoyable Pinot was heightened.
The evening ended with a single caramel chocolate, sprinkled with shaved
sea salt. And of course, this too needed
its own wine pairing. We were served
Schug’s Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma, a robust but not top-sided wine that
even the pickiest of Cab drinkers would adore.
As guests prepared to leave, I stood to speak with Walter
and thank him for such a delightful evening.
He spoke with such emotion during the presentation, and again now, as we
spoke face to face, I could feel the amount of dedication this man had for his
craft. When he spoke of the passing of
his wife, who was his rock and his greatest supporter, one couldn’t help but
get teary-eyed and feel deeply for this man.
He continues his wine-making tradition in her honor, and all who
attended this special evening were very grateful for his openness, his candor,
and his willingness to share something he loves so much with the members of
Tahoe Mountain Club. It was an evening I
won’t forget quickly.
*Tahoe Mountain
Club is a 4-season private amenity club in the Truckee/Lake Tahoe region
which regularly hosts special events such as the wine-dinner detailed above. For
more information or to ask about membership, please call membership at: 530.550.5088, or call me at: 530.318.8280
