Kupferberg Museum

Useful Information

Location:	Kupferbergterrasse 17-19, 55116 Mainz. Mainz, city center. Parking lot Auf der Bastei 3 with 40 spaces. (49.997445, 8.263225)
Open:	All year Sat twice per month, dates on website. Only with reservation. [2022]
Fee:	Nostalgie Probe: Adults EUR 17. Rosé Probe: Adults EUR 16.30. Schlender-Probe: Adults EUR 20.50. Exklusiv Probe: Adults EUR 26. [2022]
Classification:	Cellar
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Nostalgie Probe: D=90 min. Rosé Probe: D=90 min. Schlender-Probe: D=105 min. Exklusiv Probe: D=120 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Kupferberg Terrassen, Kupferbergterrasse 17-19, 55116 Mainz, Tel: +49-6131-9230. E-mail: Registration: E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

04-JUL-1850	Christian Adalbert Kupferberg founds a Fabrication moussierender Weine (factory for the production of bubbling wines).
1852	trademark Kupferberg Gold introduced.
1870	visited by Graf Otto von Bismarck.
1888	extension of the wine production, extension of medieval cellars below the head office.
1945	cellars used as air raid shelter, thousands take cover here from the allied bombs.
1978	Majority of shares purchased by A. Racke GmbH of Bingen.
2004	sold to Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei (Oetker Group).

Description

The Kupferberg company is famous, at least in Germany, for its sparkling wine. The company’s own museum has the world’s most important collection of sparkling wine and champagne glasses. Here you will also find the Traubensaal (Grape Hall), a masterpiece of Art Nouveau built for the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. Wrought-iron works depict vine leaves, grapes and tendrils. The hall was designed by the Berlin architect Bruno Möhring. After being used as an exhibition space for top German wines at the World Exhibition, it was acquired by Franz and Florian Kupferberg and rebuilt here. An exhibition on advertising shows early German advertising films, posters and graphics.

But the main thing, of course, are the historic cellars. Medieval cellars were located directly under the main winery building. They were greatly extended in 1888 in the course of the modernisation and expansion of the winery by the sons of the company founder. This resulted in the cellars with the most storeys in the world: seven cellar storeys lying one below the other with a total of 60 cellar rooms. During the Second World War, some of them were converted into air-raid shelters. In 1945, thousands of Mainz residents found shelter from the falling Allied bombs.

On the guided tour through the cellars, visitors see richly decorated oak barrels in mighty vaults. Wine is still stored in these magnificent examples of cooperage today. In the medieval fermentation cellar, the sparkling wine bottles lie until they are ripe. Parts of the cellar must be very old, as even Roman wine amphorae, jugs and drinking bowls have been found. They are on display in the museum.

The Kupferberg Kellerei has actually no longer existed since 2004, when it was bought by Racke and later sold to Henkell. The sparkling wine with this name is still sold, but produced by Henkell. What still exists is the historic building in Mainz with its cellar complex and a restaurant called Kupferbergterrasse. Guided tours are offered on Saturdays throughout the year, with changing times and types of tours. Details are given on the website, and it is important to register by email. Until a few years ago, guided tours could also be booked for groups of more than 15 people, but this no longer seems to be offered officially. If in doubt, we recommend contacting the provider directly.