Michel Schneider

Michel Schneider - a name in the Palatinate

Michel Schneider is a wine brand of the Zimmermann-Graeff & Müller winery (ZGM for short) from Zell an der Mosel. The brand goes back to the Michel Schneider winery on the Mosel, which was founded in 1869. Their shared history began in 1998, when the then Zimmermann-Graeff winery merged with the Rudolf Müller company and subsequently took over the winery. Today, the brand has evolved away from exclusively Moselriesling, to a broader portfolio under which other grape varieties grown in the Palatinate are also offered. Non-alcoholic wines are also produced under the name of Michel Schneider.

The Palatinate - Origin of Michel Schneider wines

The wine-growing region of Palatinate is the place of origin of Michel Schneider's grapes. It is located between Rheinhessen and Alsace and is one of the most traditional wine-growing regions of Germany, the Romans once brought the grapevine to the region. Of the geographical Palatinate, it occupies about 5% of the area. Today, wine is grown in 144 localities. It is divided into two areas: the Southern Wine Route and the Middle Haardt-German Wine Route. The Palatinate is characterized by a rift valley between the lowlands of the Rhine plain and the Palatinate Forest, where most of the region's viticulture takes place. 

The climate of the region is one of the mildest in all of Germany, with an average annual temperature of 11 °C and over 1800 hours of sunshine. The Rhine plain is also protected from cold air intrusion by mountains that surround it here. The cold air at night also slides towards the Rhine, so that it does not remain in the mountains and cause frost damage at lower temperatures. Too much rain is also prevented by the surrounding mountains.

The terroir is mainly characterized four types of soil:

• Sand
• Marl
• Loam
• Clay

The proportions of these soils vary across the Palatinate; for example, in the Southern Wine Route, the mix is very loamy, making for "heavier" wines, while the soils in the Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse area are more permeable to water, resulting in lighter wines.

The Palatinate region is heavily influenced by quality viticulture, with 25 large vineyards and 325 single vineyards producing wine. The diversity is rich, with 64 white and 62 red grape varieties approved for cultivation.

The portfolio of Michel Schneider

Michel Schneider's wines are produced from a wide variety of grape varieties. Both white and red grapes are used, for example:

• Dornfelder
• Regent
• Pinot Noir
• Riesling
• Pinot Gris
• Chardonnay

White, red and rosé wines are produced from the grapes. While the white and rosé wines are matured using modern methods, such as cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the red wines, which also make up a large part of the Palatinate wine identity, are also aged in barriques, small wooden barrels. Wines that are aged in them develop aromas reminiscent of vanilla or toasted almond. In each color, a non-alcoholic wine is also produced, which is gently treated with modern dealcoholization processes to preserve the typical aromas of the wine.