Weingut Markus Schneider

Markus Schneider - From 0 to success in just a few years

At first glance, the name Markus Schneider may seem unrecognizable. In the meantime, it has become synonymous with first-class wine in Germany. The Palatinate winegrower Markus Schneider, born in Ellerstadt in 1975, has made sure of that.

Markus learned the winemaking trade in the early 1990s at the top winery Dr. Bürklin-Wolf in Wachenheim an der Weinstraße. His father Klaus had already worked as a winegrower. However, he did not press the wines himself, but sold them to the local winegrowers' cooperative. In 1990, he finally founded his own winery - Schneider. Markus joined in 1994 and, together with his father, brought the very first Schneider wines onto the market.

But with tens of thousands of German winegrowers, good wine alone is not enough. It also has to stand out. Markus knew that Markus Schneider from the very beginning. That's why he launched a red wine on the market in 1996 that was simply called "red wine". This wine from very old Portugieser vines was praised by critics such as Stuart Pigott and Gerhard Eichelmann as a new type of German red wine considered.

Even after that, Markus Schneider focused more on reinvention than tradition. He planted international grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Merlot, but at the same time dispensed with vineyard designations and predicates. The Schneider wines are all bottled as Q.b.A. (qba). He then releases his unconventional wines onto the market with equally unconventional names. Black Print, Kaitui, Tohuwabohu or Ursprung are now classics in the German specialist trade. But he has also long since proven himself internationally. His wines can be found in top restaurants and hotels, as well as airlines and cruise fleets.

Markus Schneider - showered with awards

In the renowned wine-growing community of Ellerstadt, Markus Schneider is the leading wine producer. He regularly receives awards and top marks. His wines always receive high accolades and ratings.

The trade magazine Der Feinschmecker named Markus Schneider "Newcomer of the Year" in 2003. In 2006, the Gault Millau Wine Guide Germany named Schneider "Discovery of the Year". In 2007, he was also named an "up-and-comer". Since 2007, the winery has received 3 out of 5 grapes. Gerhard Eichelmann's wine guide has also been rating the Markus Schneider wines since 2000, classifying the winery with 4 out of 5 stars since 2006.

Markus Schneider's special wines

The wines from the winery Markus Schneider are always highly concentrated, aromatic and fruity. The wines owe this style to the yield reduction in the vineyard and the late harvest. During vinification, emphasis is placed on the naturalness of the musts using traditional winegrowing methods. In the production of rosé and red wine, this is achieved by extracting up to 40 percent of the juice using the saignée method. In addition, red wine undergoes slow maceration, which can take up to 3 days for top wines. The subsequent maturation takes place traditionally in wooden barrels and barriques.

White wines, on the other hand, are matured with long maceration periods. Maturation takes place on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks, barrels and barriques. Until bottling in the spring following the harvest.

The vineyards

• Kirchheim: Steep slope
• Weisenheim am Berg: situated at an altitude of 230m on the edge of the Haard
• Kallstadt: Soils of loess, loam and limestone marl, at the foot of the Haardt, at an altitude of 160 to 200m
• Saumagen: Saumagen is located in a limestone basin at an altitude of 180m. The limestone reef is evidence of the last Palatinate primeval sea from the Tertiary period. The location is characterized by the limestone quarries of the first Roman settlers, the coral reefs and cliffs. It is considered the best Kallstadt site
• Bad Dürkheim: lies on the edge of the Palatinate Forest on the German Wine Route. It is the third largest wine-growing municipality in the Palatinate with 855 hectares of vineyards
• Fuchsmantel: the Fuchsmantel (165m) is one of the last original terraced vineyards in the Palatinate. The red sandstone there was formed 250 million years ago
• Friedelsheim: lies in the Vorderpfalz
• Alte Reben Riesling: the vines, which are over 40 years old, are rooted in loess, clay and loam soils
• Ellerstadt: lies at an altitude of 100 m

The vastness of the growing areas brings clear advantages for Markus Schneider. In summer, the grapes in the valley owe their excellent and rapid physiological ripeness to the high temperatures of up to 38 Celsius. While the sites on the edge of the Haard, with their early shading, cool soils and winds, slow down the ripening process. Accordingly, each of the vineyards and sites is cultivated individually. The cultivation is always natural and without the use of herbicides, insecticides and artificial fertilizers. At the same time, the vines are carefully worked under the vines using organic fertilizers and the vineyards are planted with herbs and grasses.

Buy Markus Schneider wines at VINELLO

The grandiose Markus Schneider wines, popular and sought-after worldwide, are available from VINELLO. Our Markus Schneider top sellers are:

1. Black Print dry
2. Ursprung red wine dry
3. Rooi Olifant Red Blend
4. Tohuwabohu
5. Kaitui Sauvignon Blanc dry