Region & History

In Nieder-Olm near Mainz, farmer Peter Eckes ran a small haulage business in 1857, distilling schnapps on the side from fruit and winemaking leftovers. When the railway between Mainz and Alzey opened in the early 1870s, the family gave up the haulage trade and devoted themselves entirely to drinks. The farmhouse distillery grew into a company that would lead the German brandy market after the war.

The economic miracle brought the real breakthrough. In 1952, Eckes launched Chantré, which the company describes as the first mild German brandy. The name comes from the maiden name of Ludwig Eckes's wife. From 1953 onward, sales tripled for three years running, and by 1957, according to the company's own history, Chantré led the German brandy market with roughly a 30 percent share.

Mariacron also has roots in Rheinhessen. The name traces back to a monastery distillery in Oppenheim, which Eckes acquired and built into a brand. In 2007, Rotkäppchen-Mumm took over the spirits and wine business from Eckes, and Chantré has belonged to that beverage group ever since.

Further downstream along the Rhine, Friedrich Wilhelm Petzsch founded a cognac distillery in 1898, which has been based in Bingen since 1911. After the Treaty of Versailles, the name Cognac could no longer appear on German bottles. From 1919 the company was renamed Weinbrennerei Scharlachberg, and in 1920 it released the Scharlachberg Meisterbrand.

Today the name Pfälzer Weinbrand is protected, registered as a geographical indication in the EU register since 2008. It may only be used for brandy distilled in the Pfalz from wine grown there. The designated area follows administrative boundaries and therefore extends as far as Mainz, Worms, and the Mainz-Bingen district. Alongside the large houses, winegrowers distill in small licensed farm distilleries, permitted to produce no more than 300 liters of pure alcohol per year. Distilling without a license is illegal in Germany.