FR 
EN The story
The history of the Schneider farm began in the late 1800s with Emile Schneider, a winemaker in Gueberschwihr. Emile, his son, still very young, followed in his father’s footsteps. He took over the farm when he came back from the Great War with the help of Elise, his wife, daughter of a winemaker in the same village. Together they built the house, what composes the estate and the cellar as well as a part of the wine cellar.
They will soon be joined by their son Gérard and his wife Gilberte. Father and son will expand the vineyard from 5 acres to 17.25 acres and build the cellar that houses today the winery and all the wine-making, bottling and labelling equipment, as well as the storage facilities. In the late eighties, Gerard and Gilberte took over the winery from Emile and Elise.
Today Xavier, Gerard’s son, and Sophie, his wife, run the estate. They have a passion for the vine and wine and strive to produce quality wines following the traditional methods. Since their arrival in the winery, they have endeavoured each year to develop new ranges of wine for their customers. They are developing the 24,7 acres vineyard according to the sustainable agriculture approach, minimizing farming inputs and promoting tillage.
The vineyard
Our vineyard currently covers 24.7 acres, including 2.5 acres in the 111,2 acres Grand Cru Goldert. Our plots are mainly located in the municipality of Gueberschwihr with a few plots in Hattstatt and Pfaffenheim which gives our estate a great diversity of terroirs. The Grand Cru Goldert is a terroir of excellence for the Pinots Gris and the Gewurtztraminers, the Rieslings and Muscats also enjoy it. Goldert is the only terroir in Alsace whose geological substratum consists entirely of marine oolitic ( oolithique in french) limestone.
We work according to the integrated farming approach, meaning that we avoid as much as possible the phytosanitary products and that we promote the natural defences of the vine. The soil is ploughed to prevent weeding and since 2009 we use treatment products compatible with organic farming. In 2012, we started the process of reconversion into Organic Agriculture but the climatic and human constraints led us to backtrack. However, this conversion objective remains present and since 2020 our farm is certified HVE Level 3.
Our premises
We own a vat composed of the wooden barrels ranging from 30 to 40 hl acquired by our great-grandparents in the early 1900s and which allow us to vinify our wines in an ancestral way. Currently we also use stainless steel vats, more modern and easier to maintain especially for smaller volumes, this allows us to vinify the different grape varieties plot by plot that will give birth to our reserve wines, Grands Crus and Old Vines, as well as late harvest and selections of Grains Nobles. The thermoregulation of these vats enables the control of the wine fermentation and ageing temperatures.
Entirely renovated in 2020, we welcome us to visit our premises from Monday to Saturday as well as on Sunday on reservation at the cellar to taste our new products allowing us to spend a pleasant time in your company.
