The “black gentleman” (Schwarzer Herr) silhouette design debuted on the Henkell Trocken label in 1936 and for many years was its distinctive insignia.

[citation needed] Joachim von Ribbentrop became Germany's foreign minister under Hitler in 1938; in this position he ordered the deportation and killing of thousands of Jews, specifically in the Italian occupied zone in Croatia.

In 1986, Otto Henkell sold the winery to the entrepreneur Rudolf-August Oetker, who had previously acquired Söhnlein Rheingold Sektkellerei [de] in Schierstein in 1956.

Henkell & Söhnlein Sektkellereien KG took the first step towards forming a European beverage group in 1988, when it acquired the Austrian Scharlachberg label, with the exception of the brandy of the same name.

Henkell & Söhnlein, Austria, was founded with its own sparkling wine production facilities in Vienna and its own brandy bottling plant in Salzburg.

in Budapest, the Hungarian market leader for sparkling wine, and in 1995, it acquired a majority stake in Kurpfalz Sektkellerei KG, located in Speyer, Germany.

was founded in Warsaw in 1996, and in 1997, Deinhard Sektkellerei KG [de] in Koblenz was added to the portfolio, as well as a qualified majority in Vinpol SP.

In 2003, Henkell & Söhnlein acquired the distribution and trademark rights for the Menger-Krug sparkling winery in Deidesheim and S.C. Astese Production S.r.l., in Bucharest.

[7] In May 2008, Henkell & Söhnlein Sektkellereien KG acquired the Italian company Mionetto, a maker of international award-winning spumante and frizzante sparkling wine brands.

The following companies not based in Germany also belong to the Group: Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei Ges.m.b.H (Austria), Törley Sparkling Wine Cellar Ltd. (Hungary), Vinpol Sp.

The board of directors is composed of Andreas Brokemper (International Activities and Controlling), Eberhard Benz (Manufacturing and Purchasing), Frank van Fürden (Sales, Marketing and Logistics).