Location on the Upper Moselle
Palzem lies on the Upper Moselle in the border triangle area near France and directly opposite Luxembourg. The municipality is described as the southernmost wine-growing municipality on the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the wine region Mosel. Palzem includes the local districts of Dilmar, Esingen, Helfant, Kreuzweiler, Palzem and Wehr.
Vineyard sites and soils
The district of Palzem lies in a bend of the Moselle that stretches around the Palzemer Plateau. The municipality has just under 200 hectares of vineyard area and is therefore one of the larger wine-growing communities on the Upper Moselle. The Palzem vineyard sites include Schloß Thorner Kupp, Lay, Carlsfelsen, Rosenberg and Kapellenberg. The soils are characterised by shell limestone; in the surrounding area of the Upper Moselle, marl and dolomite also occur.
Elbling and winegrowing
Elbling is a characteristic grape variety of Palzem and the Upper Moselle. The municipality describes Palzem’s Elbling as a fresh wine with a dry taste and fruit-forward character, and it also names Elbling sparkling wine as a regional speciality. The calcareous soils are also linked with Pinot varieties. The vineyard sites on the Upper Moselle benefit from the warmth and the rainfall of the river valleys and steep slopes.
History and cultivation
For Palzem, a Roman villa on the plateau and a Roman road across the Moselle between Metz and Trier are documented. According to information from the municipality, winegrowing on the Upper Moselle dates back to Roman times; Elbling was also apparently already cultivated by the Romans. In a Palzem business, most work in the vineyard is carried out by hand, including the maintenance of the steep slope of Wehrer Rosenberg and hand-harvesting. The grapes are processed gently and fermented in wooden and stainless-steel containers under temperature control.
