Markus Schneider, the talented wine visionary from the Palatinate
Wines by Markus Schneider are not only in Germany a term of high quality, uniqueness and refinement, but belong to the top of the international wine world. The story around Markus Schneider is exciting and distinctively unique at the same time. For centuries, the Schneider family has been living in the Palatinate in Ellerstadt and produced exclusively grapes until 1994. Everything changed with the young Markus Schneider, who always had a special passion for wine. Courageously and with great diligence, the winegrower concentrated on his small piece of land and cultivated his very first wine, which he simply called red wine, using hundred-year-old vines of the Portugieser variety. Today it is known as "Einzelstück". Year after year, Markus Schneider continuously improved his quality and expanded his vineyards, so that today he owns proud 92 hectares of cultivated area. Unusual methods, such as the abandonment of the indications of the quality sites and a modern and minimalist design of the black and white labels, have been well received by wine lovers. His innovative cult wines such as Black Print, Ursprung, Tohuwabohu or Kaitui made Markus Schneider one of the absolute top German winemakers. In 2006 the wine guide Gault Millau awarded him the title „Discovery of the Year“and since then he has regularly received top ratings from international critics. Markus Schneider wines can be found in various restaurants, hotels or on cruise ships.
Black Print, Origin, Hullabaloo, Tohuwabohu, Kaitui - Markus Schneider's cult wines
In all of these wines diligence, determination and an individual story can be found. No two wines are alike, because Markus Schneider's unique personality is in every step of the process. The vineyards are planted half with white grape varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc and half with red grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, St. Laurent or Portugieser. The valley reaches very hot temperatures due to the high slopes of the Pfalzer Haardt, while the grapes on the Haardtrand ripen more slowly due to plenty of shade, cooler soil and a pleasant wind. Markus Schneider combines different terroirs and grape varieties, which is why his wines are so distinctive and full of character. The style of concentrated, aromatic and fruity wines, characterised by low yield, late harvesting and enormous quality, runs through the entire wine collection. Following the simple cellar principle, "less is more", the grapes are gently pressed and matured in wooden barrels.
Fairytale wines under the label Hensel and Gretel are produced by the two best friends and winemaking colleagues Markus Schneider and Thomas Hensel from the grape varieties Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Both started their winemaker training at the same time and decided after some time to produce a small joint wine collection. The three wines are based on the fairy tale of Hensel and Gretel and so the title is reflected in the wines, like for example in The Witch Hunter.
Absolute classics are the two red wine cuvées Black Print, which gets its name from its deep dark colour and special fruity and spicy aromas, and Ursprung, which is aromatic and minerally. The involvement of the whole family is also reflected in the two wines Hullabaloo and Tohuwabohu, which are a tribute to his daughter and son. The love for white wines from New Zealand is rediscovered in the wine Kaitui, a fresh Sauvignon Blanc. Kaitui is a term of the New Zealand natives and means something like "tailor" - a wonderful connection to the Palatinate vintner. Wines from Markus Schneider are simply different, and that is what makes them so popular!
Markus Schneider – Germany meets South Africa
Markus Schneider was also enthusiastic about wine and absolutely changeable in another collaboration with his winemaker friend Danie Steytler, whose family emigrated from Swabia to Stellenbosch in South Africa in 1766. Wines from South Africa have a completely different culture with different traditions and a different climate. Markus Schneider's inspiration for one of his unusual wine experiments comes from the evening sun, which slowly sets over the famous Table Mountain and immerses the vineyards behind it, some of them with huge granite rocks, in a fiery red light that reminds the winemaker of a "fat red elephant". The result is the Vet Rooi Olifan, a red wine cuvée from the South African national grape Pinotage. The most commonly grown white wine grape variety in South Africa is Chenin Blanc. Markus Schneider considered this enormously changeable and versatile grape variety to be greatly underestimated. Therefore the South African collection of the two winegrowers is completed by a great white wine. The De Cutter Chenin Blanc, which is produced from very old vines, brings out its fruity and elegant character. The German Palatinate and South African Stellenbosch, two giants of wine that could not be more different, are wonderfully united by Markus Schneider in this collection.