Gregory Scott WALTER

WALTER, Gregory Scott March 14, 1958 - September 1, 2016 Gregory Walter passed peacefully into God's arms on September 1, 2016 at his home in Yountville, CA, at the age of 58, following a courageous battle with colon cancer. Greg was supported throughout his illness by his faith, as well as intense love and the outpouring of kindness from his community of family, friends and the wine industry. Greg was born on March 14, 1958 to Daniel and Arloa Walter in Redwood City, CA. He then grew up on the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula in San Mateo, graduating in 1976 from Aragon High School. He went on to San Diego State University to earn his journalism degree. While in college he applied for a job as an editorial assistant at the then-small San Diego-based wine newspaper called The Wine Spectator. He took that job, beginning a 14-year career with Wine Spectator magazine, rising to senior editor, ultimately serving for seven years as president. Greg moved back to the Bay Area when Wine Spectator relocated offices to San Francisco, living first in Pacifica and then in San Francisco. In 1990 he moved to the Town of Sonoma, the island he never wanted to leave. His illness necessitated a move to the Napa Valley, in 2015, but Greg's heart was always in Sonoma County. After leaving Wine Spectator in 1994, Greg continued to work as a journalist and writer on wine and food, as well as a publishing and content consultant through his consulting firm, The Carneros Group. Greg had an impact on wine country and lifestyle publishing through media outlets including SmartWine Magazine (a division of Wine Business Monthly and Wine Business Communications), Appellation Magazine and Wine Country Living Magazine. Greg was involved in the publication of several books by Wine Spectator Press: "California's Great Cabernets," "California's Great Chardonnays" and two editions of Wine Spectator's "California Wine." He also co-authored, edited and published his own book, which outlined the history of the Chalone Vineyard and the Chalone Wine Group, "Chalone: A Journey On The Wine Frontier," and published several other books under his Carneros Group imprint, Carneros Press. Ultimately, Greg focused upon the varietal that he truly loved: Pinot Noir. For the past 15 years he published PinotReport which won a James Beard Award in 2005. He traveled and tasted wine with a passion to learn, sharing his experiences with his loyal readers. Greg also co-founded and produced the annual "Pinot on the River" event. Greg was one of the kindest, most loyal and gentle people on the planet. An extremely loving friend, son, brother, uncle, husband and father. Known to his young daughter Grace as "Daddy" he was a deeply-involved parent, in part because he worked from home when she was young. Yet once she was in school he always attended and supported her school, performance and sporting events, and even coached her soccer team for three consecutive seasons. Nothing brought more joy and happiness to Greg, than his daughter Gracie. An avid fan of the San Francisco Giants, a dream came true for Greg earlier this year when he "covered" a baseball game from the press box at a home game. His favorite places to be, other than at home with his family, were over at the coast, in Truckee, California or at Della Santina's Restaurant and the Enoteca Wine Bar in Sonoma. Greg is survived by his daughter, Grace Walter, and her mother and his best friend, Lisa Adams Walter; his mother, Arloa Walter (preceded in death by his father Daniel Walter); brother and sister-in-law, Jay and Connie Walter (Courtney, Colton, Caitlin), and brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Natalie Walter (Nolan, Nick, Gabrielle). He is also survived by his former in-laws, Jay and Elaine Adams, and sister- and brother-in-law, Laura and John Kostelac. Friends are invited and encouraged to attend a Memorial Service for Gregory Walter which is set for 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28 at St. John's Lutheran Church, 3521 Linda Vista Avenue, in Napa, California and a Celebration of Life, that will reflect the Greg Walter we were all privileged to know, spend time with and love, which will be held nearby, immediately following the service. Internment at Tulocay Cemetery in Napa will be private. Memorial donations may be made to the St. John's Lutheran School Scholarships for Church Members Fund or to the Greg Walter Family Fund at: YouCaring.com Words of sympathy may be sent to the family at: www.TulocayCemetery.org