The recent acquisition of the Traben-Trarbach winery F.W. Langguth Erben by the winery Zimmermann-Graeff & Müller (ZGM) marked another milestone in German winery history. Just a year earlier, ZGM itself was acquired by Les Grands Chais de France (GCF)—proving that there's always a bigger player in the market. The personnel structure also changed in 2024 like no other year. Some figures retired, while others left the wine industry altogether, turning to other sectors of the economy.
However, the top 10 German wineries show no signs of instability: innovations and new products, alongside established brands, are strengthening the winery business. Keywords for Andreas Oster Jr., Managing Director of the Andreas Oster winery, include: origin, diversity, sustainability. "In conjunction with uncompromisingly high product quality, we see a great opportunity here."
Peter Mertes
First place is no surprise in the German wine production business: Peter Mertes again tops the list of the top 10 German wineries this year. Mertes really stepped on the gas in 2024. For example, the top brand 'Bree' was expanded with a Sauvignon Blanc and a red wine, the Bree Primitivo. With the new litre series Sittmann, the Peter Mertes winery launched an entry-level line. The Sittmann family consists of a total of six varietal wines, including a dry Kerner, a sweet and a dry Müller-Thurgau, a semi-dry Riesling, a dry Silvaner, and a sweet Portugieser Rosé. The company is also jumping on the non-alcoholic train with the Maybach Alkoholfrei white and rosé, as well as the Bree Free in white, red, and rosé.
"The wine sales crisis represents a major challenge for the industry."
The growth at Mertes shows that customers remain loyal to branded wines: according to market researchers, the Maybach brand increased its revenue by over a quarter (+28%, €38.8m) in the first half of 2024. Mertes also achieved a significant increase with the Peter Mertes line, which saw revenue grow by 25.6% (€11.6m). "The wine sales crisis represents a major challenge for the industry. However, Peter Mertes has been able to grow in recent years, bucking the trend," the winery states. They hope that retailers will give shelf space to well-selling items, as overstocked wines damage the image of all wines. "And of course, we hope that retailers will continue to cultivate and care for the wine assortment and have the courage to try new things."
Rheinberg Kellerei
The current Edeka Group business report indicates that 2024 yields the same results as the previous year. With an estimated €260m in revenue, the Edeka-owned Rheinberg Kellerei defends its second-place position among the top 10 German wineries. According to Edeka Group data, the Bingen-based winery produces around 450 wines and sparkling wines from 15 countries.
In 2024, Rheinberg Kellerei celebrated its 85th anniversary. To date, Edeka remains the only company in the German food retail sector to operate its own winery. Rheinberg Kellerei bottles 95m bottles annually, with 350 wines and sparkling wines produced exclusively for Edeka store wine shelves. In addition to private label brands, the Rheingau winery also produces wines in cooperation with VDP wineries such as Robert Weil and Kloster Eberbach.
Andreas Oster Weinkellerei
"The current difficult development in both the domestic market and in neighboring European countries has strengthened our strategy to sustainably improve the image of German wine in previously neglected export markets with high-quality but affordable products," says Andreas Oster Jr., Managing Director of the Andreas Oster winery. While last year there was some suspense about how the company's new strategy would be received, a year later, the Oster family feels validated in their approach: "2024 was a particularly exciting and challenging year for us. It marked the launch of our brand portfolio, which we carefully built over several years. We are very happy and also a bit proud that our extensive, sometimes unconventional, approaches have met with such a positive response."
"The current difficult development in both the domestic market and in neighboring European countries has strengthened our strategy to sustainably improve the image of German wine in previously neglected export markets."
While the winery was still among the "Hidden Champions" last year, today it stands for a certain idealism in the winery business. "With authentic approaches at a high product level and a fair price, we try to introduce consumers to the fascinating world of German wine in a new, deliberately uncomplicated way," the winery states. Despite the difficult overall situation, retailers in both the domestic and export markets are reacting with sustained interest in the innovative products from Andreas Oster winery.
The winery remains cautious with absolute figures, but with revenue exceeding €150m, Andreas Oster winery maintains its third-place position among the top companies. The brothers Andreas and David-Andreas Oster now run the company together with their father, Andreas Oster, in its fourth generation. For the future, the Osters are confident that German retailers will continue to rely on innovative concepts from their homeland.
Peter Herres
For the 2024 fiscal year, Peter Herres Wein- und Sektkellerei GmbH generated revenue of over €125m, maintaining its stable position in fourth place. 2024 saw the introduction and distribution development of the Aperito line with the varieties Aperito Spritz, Wild Berry, and White Peach, also available in a handy 0.2-litre three-pack. The Herres winery currently sees a slight upturn in demand for sparkling cocktails. Managing Director Frank Schmidt cites market data showing that despite a 10.5% price increase, sales development in the segment was slightly positive (+0.5%). Sparkling cocktails, he emphasises, are the third-largest sparkling wine submarket and are popular with a broad, open-minded, and young consumer base.
Peter Herres' export share remains at 33%, with the most important markets being Austria, Switzerland, and the USA. The company only recorded changes in personnel: Alexander Wolf resigned as Managing Director and CFO at Peter Herres but remains in the wine industry at a different supply level, namely as Managing Director at Arthur Müller GmbH & Co. KG, a winery supply wholesaler based in Traben-Trarbach.
Zimmermann-Graeff & Müller (ZGM)
ZGM, which faced significant challenges last year, is now stabilising its business. After the winery dropped from third to fifth place and the takeover by Grands Chais de France (GCF) was seen as a necessary intervention, an increase of 8.7% according to current GCF figures suggests a more secure future for Zimmermann-Graeff & Müller. With annual revenue climbing from €116m to an estimated €126m, ZGM is recovering. GCF acquired the ZGM winery in April 2023, and in total, the shareholders have already initiated a capital increase of €20m for the Zell location since the takeover of ZGM by GCF. "This is our commitment to the Moselle location," ZGM states.
In May 2024, ZGM, in turn, acquired the F.W. Langguth Erben winery. As early as 2021, Langguth separated from unprofitable business segments, restructured its sales, and revised several brands. Nevertheless, a chapter of German wine history is now ending at the Traben-Trarbach location. The Langguth family can look back on a winemaking history dating back to 1789. With Erben and Medinet, the company developed two of the at times most successful wine brands in the German market. All brands were acquired in the purchase and analysed individually to develop suitable sales strategies—according to Matthias Schwunk, Managing Director of ZGM and Executive Director International Wines & Spirits of Les Grands Chais de France, GCF's worldwide sales network will be used for this purpose. A relaunch of the Sontino brand is planned, and Blue Nun will be the focus brand for export. The Langguth name is also to be retained "in some form" in the future.
Nevertheless, ZGM experienced a farewell: after the retirement of ZGM's Managing Director of Sales and Marketing, Horst Hillesheim, Benjamin Krämer now takes over as Head of Sales Germany. He will be responsible for the sales of the brand portfolio and the private label sector in the future.
Weinkellerei Hechtsheim (HxM)
Les Grands Chais de France's second German winery subsidiary is also pleased to report a revenue increase for the 2024 fiscal year. The Mainz-Hechtsheim-based company recorded an estimated €95.5m in revenue. Similar to last year, the winery increased its revenue by almost 10%, and it now produces an average of approximately 60m bottles per year. In addition to wine and sparkling wine, the Hechtsheim portfolio also includes low-alcohol and non-alcoholic wines, as well as wine-based cocktails.
"Keeping the ship on course and setting a new course," is how they describe pragmatism, one of the winery's four values, alongside team spirit, passion, and understanding. In a world of constant change, they aim to continue growing and developing, attracting new consumers, and conquering new markets.
According to the company, 80% of GCF's total production is exported, with the 'Hans Baer' brand being one of the strongest in the Weinkellerei Hechtsheim portfolio.
Hauser Weinimport
"As a supplier mainly for private labels and providers of wines and wine-based beverages in the entry-level price segment, we only feel the tension in wine sales to a limited extent," says Viktoria Wollmann, Head of Sales and Marketing at Hauser Weinimport GmbH, regarding the wine sales crisis. Hauser's product range is aimed specifically at price-conscious buyers who are looking for a high-quality taste experience at an attractive price-performance ratio. "We are broadly positioned here and can offer retailers a diverse range of services, from still wines to sangria and various wine-based cocktails to fruit wines, mulled wines, and organic as well as premium mulled wines—a year-round program in those categories that continue to show growth or are characterised by clear stability and demand."
With revenues of €85m in fiscal year 2024—again at the previous year's level—Hauser Weinimport remains stable in seventh place. The company produced approximately 105m units in various containers (bottles, Tetra Pak, PET) in 2024.
"Even in the private label sector, it is important not to underestimate the power of 'brand' and product loyalty."
According to Viktoria Wollmann, retailers must consider consumers' needs for quality and taste, as well as their constrained consumption behavior. A clear differentiation of different product concepts in terms of packaging, price, and category appears necessary, coupled with a strong understanding of individual buyer groups and consumption occasions. "Even in the private label sector, it is important not to underestimate the power of 'brand' and product loyalty and to keep individual product offerings as consistent as possible in terms of appearance and typical taste."
Gerstacker Weinkellerei Likörfabrik GmbH
Product innovation seems to be a successful strategy in this day and age—which is why Gerstacker Weinkellerei Likörfabrik GmbH is included in our ranking this year. With estimated revenue of around €84m in the 2024 fiscal year, the winery lands directly in eighth place among the top 10 German wineries.
The owner-managed winery, led by Stefanie Gerstacker, has been combining "artisanal tradition with creative diversity" since 1945. The foundation for the company's history was laid by the Original Nürnberger Christkindles® market mulled wine from Gerstacker. What began with fine spirits has developed into a multi-million dollar company over the past 80 years. In 2019, the headquarters in Nuremberg was expanded with a new warehouse, and in 2021 with a large, new logistics center. As the market leader in the mulled wine, punch, and Federweisser segments, the company now has over 600 products in its range.
In addition to punch and mixed drinks, the range also includes wines from the 'Marquis de Bourbon' line, Sauvignon Blanc and Tempranillo, the 'Grandsecco' Bianco and Rosato, as well as the 'Weico Rebenkönig' wines in white, red, and rosé in 1-liter bag-in-boxes. The group includes Gerstacker Weinkellerei Likörfabrik GmbH, Weico Weinkellerei GmbH, St. Lorenz Weinkellerei GmbH, Nürnberger-Wein-Kellerei GmbH, and Meistersinger Weinkellerei GmbH.
Reh Kendermann
Following a €3m revenue decline in the 2022/23 fiscal year, Reh Kendermann winery now reports another €7m decline for the past fiscal year 2023/24, ending June 30, 2024, landing with €80m in revenue in the penultimate spot of this year's top ten wineries. "We are seeing a slight upward trend, the situation seems to be stabilizing at least. We'll have to wait and see how sustainable that is," the winery states. According to Managing Director Alexander Rittlinger, the result is mainly due to the current global crises. Major issues include increased inflation, higher labor costs, and changing consumer behavior, with a disproportionate decline being particularly noticeable in the export business. The domestic business, however, has been somewhat more promising, although it was overall negative but offers significantly more potential in the future.
A newly formed marketing team around Marketing Director Björn Ritter (on board since September 2024) is to further develop its own brands such as Black Tower as part of a relaunch. The established brand, with around 9m bottles produced per year, is considered the winery's most important product line. "We want to present Black Tower more as a lifestyle brand in the future and thus appeal to new target groups," says Ritter.
After Reh Kendermann closed its Böchingen location in mid-2024, as well as the production site in Gau-Bickelheim, the entire production was relocated to the main location in Bingen. "The closure of the winery in Gau-Bickelheim is now paying off," says Rittlinger. The total investment volume was €1.5m. In 2023, the winery had already invested in a bottling plant to optimize it for non-alcoholic wines. Since June 2024, the ‘'Metro Edition Terroir by Claus Jacob Riesling Kalkstein Alcohol-Free'’ has been available nationwide in Metro stores and C+C wholesale markets.
Vineris
As the main supplier to Lidl, the parent company of Vineris GmbH, Niederrhein-Gold Tersteegen GmbH & Co. KG, has risen to become one of the leading wine producers in the world. The Moers-based company recorded €450m in revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, with Vineris accounting for approximately 16%, amounting to estimated revenue of €72.8m (+4% year-on-year).
Vineris represents the "platform for wine" of Niederrhein-Gold, while the company otherwise focuses on fruit juice, nectar, and beverages. According to the company, the quality of the wines is never left to chance thanks to strategic partnerships with top wineries and a sophisticated worldwide logistics network combined with state-of-the-art production technology.
