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Schweiger Vineyards<br />
Fred Schweiger purchased his first 8 acres in 1960 for $250 an acre.<br />
Inspiration to plant the “King” and “Queen” of vines begins by the late<br />
1970s. During the 1980s, Schweiger fruit was sought by premium<br />
wineries like Joe Cafaro, ZD, Newton and Stags Leap Winery.<br />
In 1994, Schweiger’s son, Andy—a UC Davis grad—came on board<br />
as the winemaker. Today, all 35 acres of the sustainably-farmed fruit<br />
is estate bottled for the Schweiger Vineyards label. Along <strong>with</strong> noble<br />
varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, micro-blocks of<br />
Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petite Syrah are farmed for a<br />
proprietary blend.<br />
Fred Schweiger – Founder & Vintner<br />
Born and raised on the very last farm in in San Francisco, California, a<br />
young Fred Schweiger couldn’t wait to help care for his grandparent’s<br />
160-acre vineyard in the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains <strong>du</strong>ring<br />
summertime. The Spring Mountain chapter of Fred’s book begins in<br />
the late 1950’s, when his parents purchased property in at that time<br />
unincorporated Napa County.<br />
Though Schweiger did not have a large fortune to invest in vineyard<br />
development, he persisted and proceeded to build access roads<br />
and develop a water system for the young vineyard. During the year<br />
and a half of careful and systematic clearing of the heavily forested,<br />
rolling hill parcel, Schweiger studied viticulture at the University<br />
of California, Davis and Santa Rosa Junior College. Additionally,<br />
he gained invaluable knowledge from recognized local vintners<br />
including Herman Hummel, Joe Cafaro and Laurie Wood. Vines were<br />
planted in 1981 and today there are 35 acres planted to wine grapes<br />
on the Schweiger Vineyards Estate.<br />
Sally Schweiger – Co-Founder<br />
Sally was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She attended Lowell<br />
High School (where she met her future husband, Fred) and went on<br />
to gra<strong>du</strong>ate from Concordia University in River Forest, IL. She taught<br />
elementary school in Fair Oaks and Santa Rosa, CA. After marrying<br />
Fred Schweiger in 1966, she gave birth to Diana in 1968 and Andrew<br />
in 1970. As a stay-at-home mom, Sally helped Fred by keeping the<br />
books for Schweiger Construction. As a couple, Sally and Fred started<br />
Schweiger Vineyards in 1979 and have been working together to make<br />
it a success ever since.<br />
The Schweiger family is proud to be one of the long-time property<br />
owners on Spring Mountain at nearly 53 years of ownership spanning<br />
four generations to live and work on the family Estate.<br />
www.schweigervineyards.com<br />
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