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Know the Zellertal? No? I’m guessing you already know the neighborhood, though. Everything about this northern subregion of the Pfalz seems poised to capture our attention. Limestone soils, cooling west-east winds, and ambitious producers like Weingut Schwedhelm.
Location: Zell, Pfalz, Germany
Hectares: 18 owned, 2 leased
People: Stephan and Georg Schwedhelm
Farming: Organic (formerly certified, now seeking copper reduction)
Website: https://www.schwedhelm-zellertal.de/#/en
Know the Zellertal? No? I’m guessing you already know the neighborhood, though. Everything about this northern subregion of the Pfalz seems poised to capture our attention. Limestone soils, cooling west-east winds, and ambitious producers like Weingut Schwedhelm.
Brothers Stephan and Georg Schwedhelm run Zellertal’s leading estate from their family’s winery in Zell, situated in the heart of this west-east valley bordering Rheinhessen. After locating Schwedhelm on a map, I couldn’t help asking Stephan if they associate more with their superstar Rheinhessen neighbors like Keller and Battenfeld-Spanier than with Von Winning or Rebholz. “We belong to the Pfalz,” said Stephan without a flinch, adding that “Zellertal was previously known as the Unterhaardt,” a region often overlooked in favor of the famous Mittelhaardt and Sudpfalz.
Not that Zellertal is without great terroir or historically significant vineyards. Quite the opposite, actually. Schwedhelm is the caretaker of the original parcel of the Schwarzer Herrgott. A 9-hectare, south-facing terraced site situated on a limestone plateau. The rocky, pale porous limestone with heavy layers of loam and marl typifies Zellertal’s terroir, as does the cooling wind that blows from the west leading to dry summers. The name stems from a large black crucifix that is viewable from a distance. The village maintains it as a tribute to English Monk Philipp who produced wine for the Eucharist here as early as 708 AC. The Schwarzer Herrgott is one of the oldest vineyards in Germany.
When tasting at Schewdhelm, you feel they’re the clear quality leader in the valley. Their ascent happened quickly with their grandparents growing grains, grapes, and pigs in the 1940s. When the brother’s parents took over, they focused solely on wine and produced 20 grape varieties and 60 different styles. Stephan joined the winery in 2006, with Georg joining him a few years shortly after that. The brothers turned their focus to the unique terroir of the Zellertal, making fewer wine styles and concentrating on dry, limestone-influenced Riesling, Weißburgunder, and Spätburgunder from great sites like Kreuzberg, Klosterstück, and Schwarzer Herrgott. “No one else in the Pfalz has this type of soil, says Stephan, "our soil is limestone-based like that in Burgundy.”
The farming is organic, although Stephan grew dismayed by the amount of copper he sprayed in the vineyard and has dropped the organic certification for now. Fermentations are mostly spontaneous depending on conditions of the vintage, and the Gutsweine ages in stainless steel tanks while Orstweine and single vineyards spend time in a combination of stainless steel, old oak tonneau, or larger Holzfaß. Weingut Schwedhelm produces wines that capture Zellertal’s essence, with slender cool profiles, limestone identity, and clear Pfalz origin.
Tech sheets/Shelf talkers/Ratings:
Weingut Schwedhelm Riesling Pfalz 2022
Weingut Schwedhelm Riesling Zeller Kreuzberg “Wotan-Kalkfels” Pfalz 2021
Weingut Schwedhelm Riesling Zeller Schwarzer Hergott Pfalz 2021
