Deinhard

Koblenz boasts numerous world-famous attractions. To experience several of them under one roof, we highly recommend a visit to the Deinhard winery. Learn about the history of the company in the historic Cellar Museum, enjoy our extensive vinotheque to the full, and dine like a member of the French court in “Deinhard's” restaurant – after all, Koblenz’ reputation as “Little Paris” is not undeserved.

“May brings all good things” – Alles Gute macht der Mai. True to the German proverb, on 1 May 1794, Johann Friedrich Deinhard opened a wine trading business in the historic town centre of Koblenz. Word quickly spread of the superior quality of Deinhard wines. Yet instead of resting on their laurels, the ambition of those within the company continued to grow, and in 1843, Deinhard became one of the first vintners in Germany to produce sparkling wine, or Sekt.

That move took more than just pioneering spirit – it took courage, too. For although the effervescent wine – an accidental invention of the monk Dom Pérignon – had been produced in France since 1700, the rather experimental approach to its manufacture had until then yielded widely varying results. By introducing an optimised, standard production process, Deinhard was able for the first time to manufacture sparkling wine at the consistently high level of quality for which the company is renowned today.

The Deinhard name was soon well-known beyond Germany, as demand for Deinhard sparkling wine and wine steadily grew in England, America, Australia, Asia and Africa. Die Frankfurter Zeitung reported in 1888: “At the fore of the Rhenish export houses is the world-famous company Deinhard & Cie. in Coblenz.”

That same year, the company made headlines again with its newest creation, when Cabinet Sekt, today known as Deinhard Cabinet, took consumers’ hearts and palates by storm. That reception was topped in 1910, when the company introduced its second flagship product, Deinhard Lila. This outstanding sparkler is among the finest premium sparkling wines available today as well.

Soon after, however, the world would suffer the devastating effects of the war years, and Deinhard was no exception. The decline began at the end of World War I, when the company lost all of its foreign branches. Between 1933 and 1945, the company’s international trade relations and friendships were viewed by the Nazis with suspicion. The managing directors were imprisoned; production nearly came to a halt. Yet every end holds a new beginning. Following the Second World War, the nearly completely destroyed facilities were rebuilt. The company rebounded successfully, and in 1948, the first 2,000 crates of wine and sparkling wine left Koblenz bound for the United States of America.

More than 200 exciting and eventful years of corporate history illustrate one maxim above all: quality prevails. Wine and sparkling wine experts the world over haven’t stopped asking, “Wo ist der is Deinhard?”ever since the brand posed the question in a popular 1988 spot. Today the brand is more popular than ever. Because one constant has remained unaltered throughout more than centuries of continuous political, economic and social upheaval and progress since 1794: Deinhard’s passion for premium wine and sparkling wine.