Location and landscape
Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach is an Ortsgemeinde in the Landkreis Südliche Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Bad Bergzabern. The municipality is located on the Südliche Weinstraße and is surrounded by vineyards on the slopes of the Palatinate Forest. From the vineyard landscape, the view extends across the Rhine plain to the Black Forest. During the almond blossom, mild temperatures in spring are described.
Vineyard sites
Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach belongs to the Pfalz, to the wine-growing region Südliche Weinstraße, and to the collective vineyard site Kloster Liebfrauenberg. As legally defined single vineyard sites, Frühmeß with 46.7 hectares of planted vineyard area and Kirchberg with 60.8 hectares are recorded for the 2024 harvest year.
Grape varieties and wine style
Muscatseller is regarded as the characteristic grape variety of the municipality; in addition, there is a dedicated Muscatseller hiking trail. For the Gleiszeller Kirchberg, yellow muscat, red muscat, golden muscat and rosé muscat are documented. Riesling from Frühmeß is described as powerful and spicy, and Riesling from Kirchberg as full-bodied and mineral. A Scheurebe from Kirchberg is characterised as finely fruity and elegant. For soils, old shell limestone is documented for Frühmeß and limestone for the Kirchberg.
History and viticulture
Gleiszellen was first mentioned in 1136 as “Glizencella”. A Palatinate administrative building with a tithe cellar, built in 1764, was converted in 1903 into the cellar of the winemakers’ cooperative. In the former tithe cellar, old wooden barrels are still used. Documented viticulture includes natural manuring, sown cover crops, loosening of the soil, reduced yields and hand harvesting; selected wines ferment in 600-litre wooden barrels.
