Our European Adventure: Henkell Troken Tour

On November 27 I went with a group of ladies on a tour of the Henkell factory in Wiesbaden. Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei KG is a German producer of Sekt, a German quality sparkling wine and spirits. The company is based in Wiesbaden. Today Henkell & Co. is among the leading producers of sparkling wine and spirits in Europe. In 2012 financial year Henkell sold a total of 19.9 million 91 cases of sparkling wines, wine, and spirits.

Entrance to Henkell Headquarters

Details Found Throughout the Factory

The company began in 1832 when Adam Henkell opened a winery and started producing sparkling wine in 1856. 25 years later he commissioned the building of a “Champagne factory” in Mainz, making him among the first in Germany to master the technology of producing sparkling wine from wine. The Henkell Trocken brand was patented in 1894 under the management of Otto Henkell (Adam Henkell’s Grandson). In 1898 Henkell became one of the first legally protected brands in Germany. In 1909 Henkell & Co. moved to its new stately headquarters in Biebrich. Smart business practices and confidence to try new things were the trademarks of Otto Henkell’s activities. The company’s success meant that space soon became an issue: though headquartered in Mainz, Germany, Henkell had 50 production sites.

Looking Down at the Production Line

Huge Barrels of Wine in One of the Cellars

Famous architect Paul Bonatz was hired to build a new headquarters in Wiesbaden-Biebrich, after just two years. Henkellsfeld is an imposing classical building with wine cellars seven floors deep. Along with its ultra-modern production and storage facilities, the building also has splendid reception rooms for cultural and social events. During our tour we were impressed by the grand entryway. We were invited down into the wine cellars, informed of the history of the industry, and shown the bottling plant. We had a great time touring the plant and hearing about one of German’s most famous companies.