Location and Climate
The Emrich-Schönleber winery is located in Monzingen at the western edge of the Nahe wine-growing region in Germany. The vineyards are situated at around 160 to 250 metres above sea level. Monzingen has a comparatively cool wine-growing climate with sunny sites, warm microclimates and strong thermal air currents. The nearby Soonwald provides cooling air at night.
Vineyards and Soils
The vineyards grow on stony soils of the slate-rich Wadern formation with slate, quartzite and gravel. Halenberg and Frühlingsplätzchen are oriented to the south to south-west and reach slope gradients of up to 70 percent. Frühlingsplätzchen is characterised above all by red slate and gravel, while Halenberg is characterised by blue slate and quartzite. On the Ley, there is predominantly gravel with slate.
History and Cultivation
The first documented wine-growing tradition of the Emrich family dates back to the middle of the 18th century. Up to the 1960s, the business was run as mixed farming with arable cultivation, livestock rearing and viticulture. Between 1965 and 1985, Wilhelm and Werner Schönleber converted the business into a pure winery and increased the vineyard area from around two to ten hectares. Today, according to the VDP, the vineyard area comprises 21.90 hectares; the winery has been a member of the VDP since 1994.
Grape Varieties and Wines
According to the VDP, the range of grape varieties consists of 85 percent Riesling, seven percent Pinot Gris and five percent Pinot Blanc. Halenberg is planted exclusively with Riesling. The winery produces dry Riesling wines, fruit-sweet Riesling Spätlesen as well as sparkling wines as VDP.SEKT and VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE. The grapes from individual sites are selected and picked by hand; at ripeness, each barrel and each tank is treated as an individual vessel.
