European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                All you. Ever wanted to know about \ \ sekt Appeal keeps growing by de Reavis staff writer it s High season for sparkling Winn in Europe especially for connoisseurs of sell while the French continue to capture the snob Market with their High priced champagnes other european wine makers Are capitalizing on More plebeian and vastly larger markets in Germany the sales of sparkling wine Dwarf those of France. The average German drinks More than six bottles of bubbly a year that s More than twice that downed by the typical Frenchman and six times the consumption in America the germans Call their bubbly Quot sekt or on occasion Champagne s a cheaper sister Quot the beverage is almost As popular As Beer and wine in the Federal Republic of Germany where 400 million bottles were purchased last year and this is the week for sekt. Many companies will Post 80 percent of their annual sales in the Christmas new year s Holiday season much of Sekta a Appeal is its Price said Beatrix von Kunigel spokeswoman for the Henkel amp Sohnlein. Germany s leading producer with f 20 million bottles sold each year. A you can Purchase a split which we Call a Piccolo in a supermarket for As Little As 4.50 Marks Quot she said a a German doctors prescribe sek Lor various ailments and people believe its Good for a number of aches and pains. And there s absolutely no substitute for the bubbly for special  von Kunigel said. German unification gave sekt a big boost. Until 1989, most people in the East had to Settle for state made stuff called Quot Snow White a very Sweet drink compared to the sparkling wines made in the West Quot but done to Knock Snow White said Horst Groll marketing manager for Henkel amp Sohnlein people who drink the Sweet stuff Are our future customers sooner or later they reline their tastes and want a dry Champagne or sell that s Why i Call the the Sweet drinks the beginners drink despite the growing popularity of their product people in the sparkling wine Trade complain that their drink does t have the same image As Champagne although they contend that grape Lor grape it s just As Good a the difference Between the sekt and Champagne is a matter of taste not Quality a said Perry Stuthmann manager at the Deutz amp Geldermann sparkling wine factory in Breisach near the French Border across the Rhein River from Colmar Deutz amp Geldermann is one of Many Small but exclusive sekt makers. It turns out about 2 million bottles a year. The company dates Back to 1838 when William Deutz and Peter Geldermann both from the City of Aachen moved to the Champagne District of France. They married French women and Begam making Champagne in the town of a in the process buying some of the Best vineyards in the entire Region a business on the French Side was excellent Quot said Stuthmann but to improve their German exports they opened another Plant in Alsace after Alsace became French they moved across the Rhein to Breisach in 1925 Quot today Deutz Champagne is still a top French Champagne and Deutz amp Geldermann one of the exclusive sparkling wines in Germany the French and German firms Are still family run the Champagne is exported to the United states under the name Deutz and the sparkling wine under the a Geldermann Label though sales of the latter Are Geldermann la a sekt made by a family that also makes Champagne. Minimal Stuthmann said although Deutz amp Geldermann uses French grapes from their Champagne vineyards they Are not allowed to Call their product Quot Champagne before the treaty of Versailles in 1919 that ended world War i German wine makers made  but the victorious French insisted the Label Only be used for the product grown and produced in their Region this became the substance of the so called contract of Madrid in 1923. However americans australians and South africans As non signatories to the treaty still Label their product Champagne the germans resorted to the word Quot sekt which probably stems from the italian work for dry  to remain Champagne producers Many German wine makers moved to the France which accounts for the great number of German names found on Champagne bottles a key to Good sparkling wine say the sekt makers is using top wines Tor the  second criteria is a fermentation process that incorporates Methode Page 18the stars and stripes monday december 30, 1991 Champa noise Quot a the Champagne method a which requires bottle fermentation controlled by hand. Large firms such As Henkel amp Sohnlein use modern technology and Gigantic storage tanks to ensure even maturation a version of the Champagne method. A Small firm like Deutz amp Geldermann still employs the traditional labor intensive methods of the original Champagne producers. To survive a Small firm has to count c Quality and an audience that appreciates enough to want to pay a Little More a a Stuthmann said. Henkel amp Sohnlein goes a step further sponsoring sporting events ballroom dancing and a series of eight classical concerts held at their remarkable baroque Palace Headquarters in Wiesbaden. Unfortunately the Beautiful building is not open for Public Tours although information on the concerts can be obtained by calling 0611/63218. Tours of the Deutz amp Geld can be arranged for about $5 35 per person by calling 07667/8340