What Peter Mertes does

Peter Mertes KG, founded in 1924 in Minheim on the Moselle River and headquartered today in Bernkastel-Kues, is Germany's largest privately-held, family-run winery, operating with approximately 400 employees and around 120 hectares of owned vineyards across the Moselle, Saar, and Ruwer regions. The company produces, bottles, and sells wines across seven consumer brands — Maybach, Bree, Rotwild, Biorebe, City, Landlust, and Käfer — with Maybach recognized as Germany's most successful wine brand at roughly 17 million bottles per year (Circana 2024) and Bree positioned as Germany's leading rosé. Technology is anchored in state-of-the-art bottling lines, ISO 50001-certified energy management, rainwater cisterns, and photovoltaic infrastructure, alongside long-term supply contracts with winegrowers such as Blaue Band für Moselriesling e.V. and organic viticulture dating to 1987.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B supply to the German Lebensmittelhandel (grocery retail trade) and exports to over 60 countries, supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales at the Rotwild Keller factory outlet in Bernkastel-Kues and contract filling (Lohnfüllung) services for third-party wine producers. The portfolio spans multiple price tiers and packaging formats — including bottles, bag-in-box, cans (City brand), Tetra Pak, and Secco/sparkling variants — and increasingly emphasizes organic, vegan, and alcohol-free SKUs to address evolving consumer preferences. Quality and compliance frameworks include IFS, BRC, ISO 50001, SMETA, organic certification DE-ÖKO-039, Ecovadis transparency reporting, and a Science Based Targets initiative commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2020 baseline. The current authorized managing directors are Michael Willkomm, Stefan Willkomm, Matthias Willkomm, and Georg Graf von Walderdorff; the company remains family-controlled with no external investor or parent entity disclosed.

Name

Peter Mertes

Legal name

Peter Mertes KG

Website

https://mertes.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peter Mertes KG is Germany's largest family-run winery, founded in 1924, producing and supplying wines across seven brands (including Maybach and Bree) to German grocery retailers and exporting to over 60 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Winery and Wine Production

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA), Bulk / Private Label Alcohol Production & Brands (CRADAIAJ), Producer-Owned Retail & Bottle Shops (On-site) (THAFALAL)

Keywords

• Wine production
• Wine distribution
• Contract bottling
• Organic viticulture
• Retail wine supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Bernkastel-kues

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wine Production and Sales: Peter Mertes KG operates as Germany's largest winery, producing and selling wines under multiple brands (Maybach, Bree, Rotwild, Biorebe, City, Landlust, Käfer) to the retail trade. The company generates revenue through the sale of bottled wines, bag-in-box, cans, and other packaging formats to grocery retailers and through factory direct sales.
2. Factory Direct Sales (Werksverkauf): Direct-to-consumer sales through the Rotwild Keller factory outlet, offering wines at factory prices directly to private customers.
3. Contract Filling (Lohnfüllung): Bottling services provided to other wine producers, filling their wines under contract arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peter Mertes KG operates Germany's largest winery, producing and selling bottled wines under multiple owned brands (Maybach, Bree, Rotwild, Biorebe, City, Landlust, Käfer) primarily to the German retail trade (Lebensmittelhandel). The company also operates a factory outlet (Rotwild Keller) for direct-to-consumer sales and provides contract bottling (Lohnfüllung) services to third-party wine producers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maybach: Germany\'s most successful wine brand launched in 2011, offering classic grape varieties from German vineyards with sales volume of around 17 million bottles annually. Also includes alcohol-free variants, organic products, and Seccos.
• Bree
• Rotwild
• Biorebe
• City
• Landlust
• Käfer

Products and services

• Maybach Germany's most successful wine brand offering classic grape varieties from German vineyards, including alcohol-free variants, organic products, and Seccos. Sales volume approximately 17 million bottles per year in German retail (Circana 2024).
• Bree Modern lifestyle wine brand offering wines in white, red, and rosé, including alcohol-free options, an organic line, and ready-to-drink Spritz products. Germany's #1 rosé wine brand with distinctive bottle design.
• Rotwild
• Biorebe
• City
• Landlust
• Käfer
• Contract Filling (Lohnfüllung)

Quantifiable outcome

• Maybach achieved ~17 million bottles sold in German retail (Circana 2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blaue Band für Moselriesling e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Long-term partnership with contract winegrowers producing high-quality Riesling and Müller-Thurgau wines typical of the Moselle region. Independent winegrowers work closely with Peter Mertes oenologists and cellar masters to develop their grapes and deliver young wines to the winery.
• Bonn KunstvereincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30+ year partnership for the Peter Mertes Scholarship supporting young artists during the transition from education to professional practice. Includes monthly grant over one year plus final exhibition and catalogue.
• Wine in Moderation (WiM)coreOthersOfficial member of Wine in Moderation - a global social initiative promoting responsible wine consumption and combating alcohol abuse. Company displays Wine in Moderation branding and supports responsible drinking messages.
• Bernkasteler Ruderverein e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor of the Bernkastel Rowing Club and principal sponsor of the 'Grüner Moselpokal' international long-distance rowing regatta. Supports youth development with modern rowing boats and provides exclusive regatta wine.
• Heilig-Geist-Stiftung (Armenstiftung zum Heiligen Geist, Vereinigte Hospitien)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeter Mertes KG is a tenant of the Heilig-Geist foundation, pressing and marketing the foundation's famous wine annually. With every bottle sold, the foundation receives a share to support its charitable social work in Bernkastel-Kues.
• IGS Salmtal, Freiherr-vom-Stein Realschule plus, Nikolaus-von-Kues-Gymnasium, Hochschule GeisenheimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partnerships providing career orientation activities including participation in careers fairs, work experience placements, company tours, vineyard work insights, and applicant training.
• AD QUINTAM - Haus der Hilfe e.V.minorOthersPrivately-run homeless shelter for men in need opened in December 2001. Operated by the association 'Ad Quintam – Haus der Hilfe e.V.' with active members primarily being shareholders and employees of Peter Mertes KG. All costs funded by donations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Diehl Wein: German wine producer operating a multi-brand portfolio sold through German LEH, with comparable production scale and channel relationships to Peter Mertes.
• Mack & Schühle: German wine merchant sourcing and marketing multi-origin wine brands for the German retail trade, with overlapping brand portfolio strategies and similar private-label/contract-supply capabilities.
• Reh Kendermann: Family-owned German winery of comparable scale and multi-brand strategy across German retail; one of the closest direct competitors in mass-market German wine production and distribution.
• Lergenmüller Weingut: German family-owned wine producer serving the German grocery retail trade with a diversified brand portfolio, comparable mid-market positioning to Peter Mertes' flagship brands.

Broad incumbents

• Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien: Germany's leading sparkling wine producer and one of the largest beverage groups in the country; competes with Peter Mertes for German retail shelf space and is an obvious adjacency given Maybach Secco's category growth.
• Hawesko Holding: Germany's leading wine e-commerce and mail-order specialist, distributing many of the same wine categories and brands to German consumers via owned digital channels that Peter Mertes lacks at scale.
• Schloss Wachenheim: Larger, publicly listed German wine and sparkling wine group with broader category scope (still and sparkling) and international operations, overlapping significantly with Peter Mertes' German retail and export businesses.
• Accolade Wines: Global multi-brand wine company (Hardy's, Banrock Station, Echo Falls, Petaluma) operating a similar playbook of portfolio wine brands marketed across retail channels in 60+ markets.
• Treasury Wine Estates: Global multi-origin wine major (Penfolds, 19 Crimes, Wolf Blass, Beringer) executing a portfolio brand strategy across European and global grocery retail, the closest global 'playbook' peer to Peter Mertes' model.

Regional players

• Friedrich Lingen Großhandel: Moselle-region wine merchant and producer historically tied to the same grape supply region as Peter Mertes; competes for the same Moselle contract-grower relationships and regional export channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/citydosen
• Instagraminstagram.com/citydosen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peter Mertes