When Karl Henkell, grandson of company founder Adam Henkell, had his sparkling wine bottled in handy 200 millilitre bottles in 1935, he would certainly never have dreamed that he would write company and sparkling wine history. Inspired by the Italian word "piccolo" for "small", he affectionately named his invention "Pikkolo" and even had the name trademarked.

What was initially "just" a new bottle size quickly developed into a symbol for a new culture of enjoyment. Especially in the years of reconstruction after 1945, the "Pikkolo" captured the spirit of the times. At a time when the budget of many households was limited, it offered the opportunity to celebrate small moments of pleasure with space for exactly two glasses. Otto Henkell recognized the potential of the small bottle and specifically promoted its sale.

In the economic miracle years of the 1950s, the small bottle finally became a bestseller. In the 1960s, the piccolo already accounted for around a third of Henkell's total bottle sales. Collaborations - with Lufthansa, for example - gave it an additional boost.

A stroke of luck for Wiesbaden: in 1979, creative Wiesbaden restaurateur Hans-Peter Wodarz, who had already caused a stir with his Michelin-starred restaurant "Die Ente im Lehel" in Munich, opened his "Ente vom Lehel" in Nassauer Hof - with a restaurant, bistro and duck cellar. And gourmets and celebrities immediately set up shop. He receives a Michelin star and is named Chef of the Year by Gault Millau in 1982.

Wodarz - co-founder of the Wilhelmstraßenfest - revolutionizes dining at the table. Instead of being reverent and silent, it should be entertaining and cordial. And so he hires actors and actresses and singers from the State Theater to entertain the guests while they dine - the gastronomic experience is born.

The following event contributes to the restaurant's legendary status: Otto Walkes wanted to celebrate his 40th birthday in the Entenkeller after the ZDF sports studio and Wodarz went all out: It absolutely needed an Ottifanten performance - with a real elephant, of course!

A small circus from Limburg actually provided a pachyderm that had to pull in its belly to fit into the duck cellar, but exuded real serenity. When the elephant and cake arrive in the duck cellar, the surprise is perfect. It is said that the pachyderm was the first to "drink" two glasses of beer - a spontaneous "cheers" to the birthday boy!

The hotel will be closed for around two years from around the end of 2025 in order to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment. The reopening is planned for 2028. The gourmet restaurant will remain open!

In 1864, the "Rheingauer Schaumweinfabrik" was founded in Schierstein, which later became the Söhnlein Rheingold Sektkellerei KG. Johann Jacob Söhnlein achieves world fame with his sparkling wine brand "Rheingold".

In admiration of Richard Wagner and his Ring des Nibelungen - Wagner was working on his Meistersinger in Biebrich in 1862 - Söhnlein gave his sparkling wine the name "Rheingold" with Wagner's approval. In 1876, the brand is registered as the first German sparkling wine brand in the trademark register and in the same year it wins the "Great Medal" at the World Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Kaiser Wilhelm I's decision to christen German merchant ships and warships with Rheingold Sekt also contributed to its popularity.

However, in 1902, during the celebrations for the christening of the Meteor III in New York, a scandal occurred that was to reverberate for a long time - the "Franco-German Champagne War": the Rheingold champagne bottle intended for the christening was secretly exchanged by the enterprising George Kessler - representative of Moet & Chandon - shortly before the launch. Subsequently, articles and advertisements in the French press reported on the great success of the Moët & Chandon champagne brand - whereupon the representatives of Söhnlein & Co. lodged an objection. In the end, they assume that the ship was christened with the "Rheingold" brand.

A "trial of the century" followed - Moet & Chandon sued Söhnlein for over one million marks in damages. However, the champagne manufacturer loses the case and Söhnlein Rheingold profits from the advertising impact of the lawsuit.

At the beginning of the 19th century, architect and town planner Christian Zais was commissioned by the Duke to develop a complete development plan for the expansion of the future "cosmopolitan spa town". Among other things, he built the first Kurhaus, where social life was to take place from then on.

With his hotel "Vier Jahreszeiten" on Alleestraße - today Wilhelmstraße - he wanted to create a "bathing establishment for distinguished guests". However, he met with fierce resistance: the bathing proprietors feared for their guests, destroyed his excavations and manipulated the springs to simulate their drying up. Zais, whose health was affected by the hostility, died in 1820 before his hotel was completed.

His wife Josepha Zais fights with determination for the completion of the bathhouse and free access to the healing thermal springs. In 1821, she opened the hotel, which she ran for 17 years. The luxury hotel offers every conceivable comfort, is state of the art and outshines everything that has gone before. The hotel accommodates many prominent guests such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria and poets such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

The hotel was destroyed in a bombing raid in February 1945 and never rebuilt. When a new building with apartments and stores is erected on the site, only the name is reminiscent of the former luxury hotel.

The Romans already knew how to make use of Wiesbaden's healing thermal waters at the beginning of the first century. Both exhausted soldiers and the population of the vicus Aquae Mattiacorum - named after the Mattiacs who lived here - bathed in the sophisticated Roman thermal baths.

A special use was made of sinter, a by-product of the thermal water, which consists of iron and manganese, among other things. The Romans used the fresh sinter to make "mattia balls", which they used for hair care and which became a real export hit - they were supplied as far away as Rome!

The Roman poet Martial contributed to their fame in 85/86 AD with these effective advertising words: "Chattian sinter makes Teutonic hair shinier. If you use it, you will surpass the shine of the prisoners' hair. And: If you want to change the color of your age-gray hair, use mattia balls!"

The sinter deposits can still be seen today on the Kochbrunnenspringer. Over the course of a year, a sinter layer of seven centimetres grows. The municipal swimming pool company Mattiaqua (opens in a new tab) has them removed once a year and passes the deposits on to interested parties.

In 1775, people at Johannisberg Castle in the nearby Rheingau are eagerly awaiting the courier from the Prince-Bishop of Fulda to bring permission to harvest the grapes. But the messenger is late - a whole three weeks! During this time, the fine Riesling grapes are attacked by gray mold and appear to be spoiled.

For lack of alternatives, they are pressed anyway - and lo and behold, the wine turns out exceptionally aromatic, sweet and complex.

The Spätlese was born!