Region & History

Kupferberg Sekt has existed in Mainz since 1850. That year, export merchant Christian Adalbert Kupferberg founded a sparkling wine factory there, and by 1852 he had already trademarked the name Kupferberg Gold. This makes it one of Germany's oldest brand names. In 1872 the house became a stock corporation, and according to press reports, the brand now belongs to the Henkell Group.

In the 19th century, Mainz was a hub of Germany's young sparkling wine industry. Adam Henkell opened a wine trading house here in 1832, which later relocated to Wiesbaden. Another Mainz native went to France: Johann-Joseph Krug, born in the city, founded the Champagne house Krug in Reims in 1843. Since January 1999, it has belonged to LVMH—though its founder came from the Rhine.

Why Mainz, of all places? The city had wine merchants, a river for transport, and cellars reaching deep into the hillside. The Kupferberg cellars lie beneath the Kästrich and, according to the house, extend across several levels underground. The Kupferberg Museum on the Kupferbergterrasse still tells this story today.

A second line of tradition began with the winegrowers. Volker Raumland founded his Sekt house in Flörsheim-Dalsheim in 1984, after studying viticulture and oenology—the science of winemaking—in Geisenheim. In late 2019, the VDP (Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates) admitted the house, reportedly the first estate to focus entirely on Sekt. Today, sisters Marie-Luise and Katharina Raumland run the second generation.

At more than 26,000 hectares, Rheinhessen is the largest of Germany's 13 wine regions. What does Sekt b.A. from Rheinhessen mean? The abbreviation stands for a designated region: it is quality sparkling wine made from grapes grown there, carrying an official testing number. If the label also says Winzersekt, the grapes and winemaking come from the same estate, the bottle underwent traditional fermentation, and the grape variety and vintage appear on the label.