Al Scheid, who started one of the county's largest wineries, dies at 91.

Al Scheid, founder of Scheid Family Wines, died at his home in Pacific Palisades on Friday, March 31. He was 91 years old.

In a statement on Monday, April 3, announcing Scheid’s passing, family members noted that although he came from humble beginnings—work in a steel mill and a tire plant, service in the Navy and that time he hitchhiked from his hometown to find a place in the world—Scheid “went on to lead an extraordinary life.”

Scheid earned college degrees (including Harvard), started companies and was a force in business. He will be remembered in Monterey County, however, for a tax shelter he started in 1972.

That was the purpose of what became Scheid Family Wines. Offsetting losses would be rather easy, as it takes four years or so for newly planted vines to yield grapes of reasonable quality. So he planted a vineyard near Greenfield, with the idea of selling the harvest to winemakers elsewhere.

Scheid Family Wines celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. The winery is one of California’s largest producers, sending almost a million cases of wine to the market each year. Despite the heavy volume, Scheid is known for outstanding bottles, such as the gorgeous Isabelle, a sparkling wine from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay—and there are many others that earn awards.

Scheid’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. By the 1960s, California was turning out respectable wines, although French labels remained the world standard. But in 1976 at a blind tasting by French judges in Paris, California wines beat out some of France’s most storied chateaus.

Just as Scheid’s grapes were ready for the market, California wines gained acclaim. In the following decades, winemakers and growers followed Scheid, establishing Monterey County as a wine destination.

The vineyard became a family-operated winery. Scheid founded the California Association of Winegrape Growers in 1974. He was named Leader of the Year in 2017.

“He called himself the luckiest man he knew and could tell you a hundred reasons why,” the family statement reads. Certainly his choice of tax shelter proved fortunate.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Gladden Scheid, his children—Scott and Heidi run the family winery—stepchildren and grandchildren. The family will hold a celebration of life at a later date.