Husch Vineyards

Husch is a small family-owned winery. Founded in 1971, it is the oldest winery in the picturesque Anderson Valley. The vineyards are comprised of some of the earliest varietal plantings on the valley floor. In 1968, Tony and Gretchen Husch bought the 60-acre Nunn ranch, about equidistant between Philo and Navarro. The land was well known for its yields of apples and grains. They soon planted eight acres on a cool slope with a southern exposure that sweeps down towards the pristine Navarro River. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer quickly became the focus of the small winery. The first official crush was in the fall of 1971, thus making Husch the first winery in the Anderson Valley.

In 1979, Hugo Oswald Jr. bought the 6,000 case Husch Winery from the Husch family. The Oswald family had been growing pears in the Santa Clara Valley, but when the area was expanding they sold the land and headed for the southern tip of Mendocino County in the Ukiah valley. The Oswald family combined the vineyards on their La Ribera Ranch in Talmage with their newly expanding vineyards in the Anderson Valley. This union produced a total growing area of about 200 acres. Today Husch Vineyards is still owned and operated by the Oswald family. Currently three members of the family are involved in the winery: Miles, Ken, and Will. Winemaking is under the direction of Fritz Meier, graduate enologist from Geisenheim University in Germany. Al White, now in charge of all viticulture operations, has been with Husch since 1973.

Through the years Husch has modernized and expanded, but it has never lost its initial rustic charm or reputation for great wines.

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