What Weinhandlung Kreis does

Weinhandlung Kreis is a family-owned wine merchant founded in 1994 in Stuttgart, Germany, operating as a Kommanditgesellschaft (KG). The business sources handcrafted wines directly from small artisan winemakers across European regions — including Germany (Württemberg, Mosel), France (Burgundy, Loire), Spain, Austria, Portugal, and Italy — and offers a catalog of more than 1,290 SKUs spanning white, red, rosé, sparkling, organic/bio, and dessert wines across 57 regions. The company is led by Managing Director Bernd Kreis, named Best Sommelier of Europe in 1992 and a multiple-time Sommelier of the Year (Falstaff), who personally hand-selects the inventory alongside Kilian Kreis.

The business runs an omnichannel retail model combining a physical store at Böheimstraße 43 in Stuttgart (operated by a team of 5–7) with a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront supporting age verification, SSL/TLS encryption, and multiple payment methods including PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Giropay, iDeal, and credit card. Distribution covers Germany plus 24 European countries via tiered international shipping (€19–€76 depending on bottle quantity, maximum 72 bottles per international order), with free domestic shipping on orders ≥€120. The product surface extends beyond wine into curated themed packages, alcohol-free beverages, spirits/liqueurs, fortified wines (Port/Sherry/Madeira), and accessories including gift boxes and the fourpointeight wine rack.

Revenue is generated through one-time transactional retail sales (B2C and event-adjacent B2B), with no subscription model. Pricing is unit-based across tiered bands: entry-level gift boxes and alcohol-free options at €2.90–€15.00, most standard 0.75L bottles at €9–€50, and premium Grand Cru selections up to €225. Customer acquisition channels include a newsletter with a 10% first-order discount, organic search, on-site personal sommelier consultation, in-store tasting events, and the related High Fidelity Bar — a wine bar combining wine with Peruvian cuisine and jazz, awarded Gastro-Weinbar des Jahres 2026 by Der Feinschmecker.

Name

Weinhandlung Kreis

Legal name

Weinhandlung Kreis KG

Website

https://wein-kreis.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Weinhandlung Kreis is a family-owned Stuttgart wine merchant founded in 1994, sourcing handcrafted wines directly from small European artisan winemakers and selling them via a physical store and Shopify e-commerce storefront (shipping to 24 European countries) to individual wine enthusiasts and event planners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Wine Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Bars (CRANACAE), Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

Keywords

• Specialty wine retail
• Artisan wine merchant
• European wine sales
• Wine consulting services
• Organic wine retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wine and Beverage Retail: Direct retail sales of wines, spirits, and wine accessories through both online shop and physical store. Products sourced from small artisan winemakers across European regions. No subscription model; one-time transaction-based purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Weinhandlung Kreis is a Stuttgart-based specialty wine merchant that retails handcrafted wines sourced directly from small artisan winemakers across European top regions, including Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, and Italy. The core catalog spans white, red, rosé, sparkling, organic, and sweet wine categories, complemented by curated wine packages, spirits and liqueurs, fortified wines (Port/Sherry/Madera), and wine accessories such as gift boxes and the fourpointeight wine rack. The business serves individual wine enthusiasts through its physical Stuttgart store, a Shopify-powered online shop with international shipping to 24 European countries, and the High Fidelity Bar wine bar, while offering personal wine consulting by founder Bernd Kreis.

Product overview

Weinhandlung Kreis is a traditional Stuttgart-based wine merchant operating both a physical store and an online shop. The core offering consists of handcrafted wines sourced directly from small family wineries across European regions (Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Italy), organized into white, red, rosé, sparkling, bio/organic, and sweet wine categories. Supplementary products include curated wine packages, alcohol-free alternatives, spirits/liqueurs, fortified wines (Port/Sherry/Madeira), and wine accessories (gift boxes, wine racks). The business provides personal wine consulting services through founder Bernd Kreis, a decorated sommelier, and operates the High Fidelity Wine Bar as a related hospitality venture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• High Fidelity Bar: Gastro wine bar awarded Gastro-Weinbar des Jahres 2026 by Der Feinschmecker, combining wine enjoyment with Peruvian cuisine and jazz in High End quality.

Products and services

• Handcrafted Wines (Weine) Handcrafted wines sourced directly from small artisan winemakers across European top regions including Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, and Italy. Categories span white wine, red wine, rosé wine, sparkling wine, organic/bio wine, and sweet wine. Sold to individual consumers via the Stuttgart retail store and the e-commerce shop.
• Curated Wine Packages (Weinpakete) Sample packages themed around specific occasions or regions (e.g., asparagus season, Burgundy, summer evenings), available as 3-bottle curated sets for wine discovery and gifting. Sold to individual consumers through the retail and online channels.
• Spirits and Liqueurs (Spirituosen/Liköre) Spirits and liqueurs including cognac, armagnac, grappa, and brandies sourced from European producers. Sold alongside the wine assortment via the Stuttgart store and online shop.
• Fortified Wines (Port/Sherry/Madeira) Fortified wines including Port, Sherry, and Madeira selections sourced from Portugal and Spain. Marketed to individual consumers seeking traditional aperitif and digestif options.
• Gifts and Wine Accessories (Geschenke und Zubehör) Gift packaging including wooden boxes in 1-bottle, 2-bottle, 3-bottle, and 6-bottle formats, plus wine accessories. Targeted at gifting consumers and bundled with wine purchases for the Stuttgart retail and online channels.
• Weinregal fourpointeight (Wine Rack) Premium wall-mounted wine rack designed for 25 bottles, produced by Furch Gestaltung + Produktion. Sold through the Weinhandlung Kreis storefront as a premium accessory for collectors.
• Personal Wine Consulting (Persönliche Weinberatung) Personal wine consultation service delivered by Bernd Kreis (Best European Sommelier 1992, multiple-time Sommelier of the Year), available by phone, email, and in-store for individual wine selection, wedding curation, corporate event beverage programs, and gift orders.
• High Fidelity Bar (Gastro Wine Bar) Co-located gastro wine bar combining wine tasting with Peruvian cuisine and high-end jazz audio. Awarded Gastro-Weinbar des Jahres 2026 by Der Feinschmecker. Serves as an experiential customer engagement and retail-sales channel operated in conjunction with Weinhandlung Kreis.
• Alcohol-Free Beverages (Alkoholfrei) Alcohol-free alternatives including sparkling teas, grape juices, and other non-alcoholic beverages. Sold to individual consumers seeking non-alcoholic options alongside the wine assortment, both online and in-store.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• High Fidelity BarcoreOthersCo-located wine bar combining wine tasting with Peruvian cuisine and jazz music. Awarded Gastro Wine Bar of the Year 2026 by Der Feinschmecker. Provides experiential customer engagement and tasting events. Operated by or closely associated with Weinhandlung Kreis.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berry Bros. & Rudd: Historic UK fine-wine merchant combining a London retail shop, international e-commerce, in-person consultation, and a strong sommelier-led curation brand — comparable long-tenured specialty positioning, premium pricing, and gifting/event use cases to Weinhandlung Kreis.
• Pinard de Picard: Saar-based artisanal wine retailer with curated direct-producer sourcing, online shop, tasting events, and strong sommelier positioning; highly comparable in curation philosophy, German mid-market premium positioning, and event-led GTM.
• Vinexus: Online-first German specialty wine retailer focused on artisanal European producers and tasting-event content; closest pure-DTC analogue to Weinhandlung Kreis's Shopify-led e-commerce business.
• Ludwig von Kapff: Bremen-based German specialty wine merchant combining physical retail, online shop, and curated tasting events focused on artisanal German and European producers — closely mirrors Weinhandlung Kreis's specialty-retail-plus-events model.
• Vicampo.de: German direct-to-consumer online wine retailer shipping across Europe with curated artisanal producer focus; comparable scale, channel mix (online-led with tasting/event components), and target customer as Weinhandlung Kreis.

Regional players

• Wein & Co: Austrian specialty wine retailer combining neighborhood wine shops with a curated online assortment and in-store tasting bars; highly relevant as a regional specialty peer operating in an adjacent DACH geography.
• Mövenpick Wein: Swiss-headquartered specialty wine retailer with a multi-country DACH store footprint and a sommelier-curated catalog; competes with Weinhandlung Kreis for German-speaking artisanal wine consumers but with broader geographic and omnichannel scale.

Broad incumbents

• Hawesko Holding: Germany's largest multi-channel wine mail-order and retail group (Jacques', Hawesko, Weinco); a broad incumbent operating much wider catalogs and price tiers that overlap with Weinhandlung Kreis in the premium/artisanal end but compete at significantly greater scale.
• Laithwaites: Large UK-founded online and phone wine retailer with cross-border European shipping and curated producer storytelling; competes with Weinhandlung Kreis for cross-border premium-wine DTC orders but at meaningfully larger scale and with broader assortment.
• Schlumberger Vertriebsgesellschaft: Long-established German specialty wine merchant with retail, e-commerce, and gifting offerings across the Baden-Württemberg/Rhine region; shares Weinhandlung Kreis's premium German-producer focus and B2B/event business lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weinhandlung-kreis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Weinhandlung Kreis