In 1832, Adam Henkell founded a wine merchant company and soon thereafter, moved to France to master sparkling wine production. Recognizing the quality potential for a German sparkling wine, Henkell returned in 1856 to his native Germany and set his sights on producing quality sparkling wine on German soil. Twenty-ve years after creating his wine merchant business, Henkell had a wine cellar and sparkling wine facility built in the city of Wiesbaden in Southwestern Germany. The city, often called the "Gateway to the Rheingau", sits on the northern bank of the Rhine River. The Rheingau is one of Germany's 13 ofcially recognized regions for quality wine production (QbA) and extends along the banks of the Rhine River.