In 1815, the former wine company was founded in Rüdesheim am Rhein: "Dilthey, Sahl & Co."
After the napoleonic wars, a new boom started with the very good "1811er" (called Goethewein or Kometenwein), and the business—promoted by British river-Rhine-travellers—becomes international.
Since the 1830's, after beginning of the river Rhine steamboat shipping, the company exports wine also to the United States (later on up to 10% of all production).
A letter from Bostons importers Edward Codman & Co. from October 17, 1839:
"Per steamboat Liverpool...
Dear Sir, we onby received your fac. of 1st June last annexing invoice of 36 bases wine which you had forwarded to Rotterdam for shipment to us and we received a letter from Messrs. D.Cock & Barlen under date of 3d. Augst. endosing bill of trading for the same Brig Hollander, that wessel has arrived and we got the wines in store 28th alt., nearly 4 months after date of your invoice, the amount of which Pounds 142.5 Sh. we have placed to your credit, which sum added to your invoice of Selters Water Pounds 13.10.10 Sh. + interest on the same pound 1.0.3 d. making pounds 156.16 Sh. we have requested our friend B.G. Mainwright Esq. to remit you in a bill on London from New York by this steamer through Messrs. Baring Bros. & Co., London. We have not tasted your samples yet as they will require more repose, besides it is now too late in the season to give any orders to be sent out this year, the demand too has much decreated for German Wines and the commercial troubles of our country will probably have a great effect to check the trade in all articles of luxury. Should you think proper to forward any more samples of low priced wines before we give our spring orders, we would suggest that you may acquise for wessels leaving Amsterdam as well as Rotterdam for our post, from the former we have generally several arrivals in course of the year and we have only recently learned that there was water communication with the Rhine and the former city. We remain with great regard,Your obt. servants Edward Codman & Co.
And also to California: Commission merchants were "Dupuy, Foulkes & Co." Their store was located at the corner of Jackson and Battery, SF, standing on piles and was accessible by a narrow side-walk over the water of the bay (so the description in Men and Memories of San Francisco in the Spring of 1850 by T.A. Barry and B.A. Patten, 1873, Library of Congres, fulltext "calbk-204").
Their imported wines came into the U.S. warehouse at Union Street, which in April 1854 was greatly overloaded and fell by gross negligance on the part of the Collector of Customs. So the merchandise of Dupuy (and other importers) was wholly lost and destroyed. Therefore, in April 20, 1870(!) the Senate of the U.S. enacted a bill, that the Secretary of the Treasury has to pay 17,569 Dollars and 65 Cents in U.S. Gold Coin to Dupuy!
After the Civil War, the U.S. wine market crashed, and Dilthey has to transfirm into an "Actien-Verein" (with very decorative wine-shares, showing dancing and drinking putti).
Dilthey also exhibited in several "Centennials" and world exhibitions and earned a many medals, 1876 in Philadelphia and 1893 in Chicago. For this reason, he created special silvered bottles. "Colorandi causa."
To Top of Page