Peter Mertes KG was founded in 1924 by winery owner and master winemaker Peter Mertes in Minheim on the Middle Moselle (Rhineland-Palatinate) and has had its headquarters in Bernkastel-Kues since 1969. Initially, the company focussed on the production and distribution of Moselle wine from the famous wine villages between Piesport and Bernkastel. In the 1950s, Dr Gustav Willkomm and his wife Edith Willkomm, née Mertes, took over their late father's family business and expanded the company's activities to include well-known wine villages on the Rhine such as Bingen, Nierstein and Oppenheim, followed shortly afterwards by the Palatinate. In the 1960s, the range was expanded to include wines from the Rheingau and Nahe regions. As the range grew, so did the customer base and sales markets, making it necessary to expand the buildings. The company headquarters were therefore moved from Minheim to Bernkastel-Kues in 1969.
Subsequently, various wine cellars, bottling plants and modern, air-conditioned warehouses were built, including the "Rotwild-Keller" - Germany's largest barrique cellar. Here, red wines from German wine-growing regions are matured in more than 1,500 barrique barrels in a 240 metre long vaulted slate cellar dating back to the 19th century. The company also owns highly respected vineyards in prime locations. In the early days, the enjoyment of wine was a privilege of the upper classes. Peter Mertes' vision of appealing to broad sections of the population with selected wines of the highest quality still exists today and is the basis of the company's orientation.
The sales market in Eastern European and Asian countries was expanded, primarily with German quality wines. With several hundred employees at various locations, oenologists, cellar masters, viticultural engineers, sales and marketing specialists, the company offers wine lovers a wide range of first-class wines from many countries around the world. Cellar management and bottling have been certified according to all important standards for years. These include ISO 9002, BRC (British Retail Consortium) and IFS (International Featured Standards). All processes are accompanied by systematic quality management and are monitored by a constantly evolving HACCP system.
Well-known umbrella brand ranges are marketed via the food retail trade in its various forms of distribution. These include, for example, wines produced in co-operation with Feinkost Käfer, the Bree range, red and white wines from the Turmfalke range and Riesling wines from Villa Sittmann. In addition to the ranges from Germany, wines from Austria, Italy, Spain and overseas such as Australia, Chile, California and South Africa have also been produced. Many varieties of the Rhine wine Liebfraumilch are mainly offered for export.
The Nachtgold range includes ice wines of various types, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines. Fixed contracts with winegrowers, producer associations and wineries provide a basis for the annual recording of harvest quantities, which are developed and marketed by the winery. Peter Mertes is one of the most important marketers of wines made from organically grown grapes, particularly from the Moselle and Rhine growing regions. As a member of the organic wine association ECOVIN, the winery is regularly certified in a mandatory eco-audit.
The company is also socially active as a sponsor. Since 985, the Peter Mertes Scholarship has been awarded to young artists in co-operation with the Bonner Kunstverein. The company also supports the rehabilitation of alcoholics in the region by inaugurating the "House of Help" in Bernkastel-Kues in 2001. This is a privately run facility for alcoholics and homeless people, which offers its residents protection and supports them in leading an independent life again in the long term. See also under largest wine companies in the world.
