Geldermann Sekt

Geldermann Sekt: 180 years of success story

The success story of Geldermann Sekt began with the knight's estate owner Alwin Freiherr von Amelunxen, who commissioned Peter Geldermann to buy wine for him in the Champagne region. Together with William Deutz, Geldermann traveled from Aachen to the Champagne region. The landscape and lifestyle fascinated the two so much that theyfounded their own winery in the small town of  Aÿ.The Deutz & Geldermann sparkling wine house was born and continues to this day.

As import duties made business in Germany difficult, in 1904 the descendants Marie Deutz and Pierre Geldermann founded a dependency - i.e. a branch - in the then German town of Hagenau. It was in this branch that the base wines imported from France were first vinified. In the following years, this branch became one of the most important producers of sparkling wine in Germany.

With the First World War, Alsace becomes French, which forces Deutz & Geldermann to move. The sparkling wine cellar found its new and final home at Geldermann then found its new and final home in Breisach, Baden, in 1925. From now on, the sparkling wines mature in a 600-year-old cellar under the Breisach Schlossberg, which offers the best conditions for this.

The next deep cut - as for many companies - came during the Second World War. The Deutz & Geldermann sparkling wine cell ars also suffered considerable damage as a result of the war. Thanks to Jean Lallier - descendant of the co-founder Deutz - and his tireless efforts, sparkling wine production was able to continue in 1947.

in 1973, René James Lallier takes over the management of the company. In this era, the Deutz & Geldermann company is finally split into two companies. The Deutz winery henceforth produces in the French Aÿ, while Geldermann continues production in Breisach.

in 2003, Geldermann is taken over by Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien, which continues the company under the tried-and-true name. In 2017, an elegant and stylish boutique is opened, and the product range and furnishings are also adapted in the process.

Production of Geldermann sparkling wines and champagne

The traditional and high-quality production process at Geldermann consists of seven steps:

1. Selection of grapes: the base wines for Geldermann sparkling wine come mainly from France. Here, the grapes are carefully selected and harvested.
2. Bottle fermentation: Various blending ratios are tasted for each sparkling wine before the recipe for the respective cuvée is created. Since each vintage is different from the previous one, Geldermann stores reserve wines in the cellar to compensate for differences in subsequent vintages. This ensures consistent quality regardless of the vintage. After bottling, the cuvée is given a so-called filling dosage (crystal sugar dissolved in wine). Over the course of two months, the added yeast converts the sugar into additional alcohol and carbon dioxide at cool temperatures and filtered light.
3. Aging: At an optimal storage temperature of 13 degrees Celsius, the raw sparkling wine matures for at least one year in the Breisach cellar. Some sparkling wines are stored for up to three years on the finest yeast. This enables the sparkling wine to optimally absorb the fine aromatic substances of the yeast and to transform them into multifaceted flavor nuances. In addition, during the ripening phase, the carbonic acid combines with the sparkling wine and ensures an elegant perlage.
4. Riddling: Once the ripening phase is complete, the sparkling wine bottles are placed with the crown cork facing downward in shaking trays set at an angle. Selected bottles are also regularly shaken by hand and systematically rotated an eighth of a turn twice a day for up to four weeks. This causes the yeast sediment to detach from the bottle wall and collect in the bottle neck. The level is controlled by means of a chalk line at the bottom of the bottle, which is also the reason for the partially visible chalk residues on the Geldermann bottles.
5. Disgorging: Disgorging describes the removal of the yeast from the sparkling wine bottles. Geldermann uses what is known as cold disgorging for this purpose. This means that the neck of the bottle is immersed upside down in a brine solution at -24 degrees Celsius. This turns the yeast plug into an ice plug. If the bottle is then turned and opened, the strong overpressure inside the bottle automatically pushes the yeast plug out. The low temperature of the cold bath prevents the sparkling wine from escaping from the bottle during this step.
6. Dosage: Dosage - or shipping dosage - describes an individually dosed wine-sugar mixture. This provides the final touch and the right sweetness of the end product. This is where it is decided whether a sparkling wine will be dry, semi-dry or extra-dry, for example. At Geldermann, there is as little intervention as possible here, because the motto is: a coherent cuvée is the best prerequisite for a flavor with a strong character. The dosage is "only" the final icing on the cake.
7. After delivery: The bottles of Geldermann premium spark ling wine are closed with natural cork, a classic wire closure and a metal capsule. The elegantly designed labels ensure the attractive appearance.