The Early Years: Wilhelm Keller (1865-1951)

In 1893, cellarman and cooper Wilhelm Keller founded his business at the Obermarkt in Bad Dürkheim, which is the precise location of the estate today. While his parents-in-law possessed a small vineyard, Wilhelm Keller mainly worked as a travelling cellarman in local wineries and helped wine production there. On the basis of this experience, the vineyards at the Obermarkt were continually enlarged and grew into one of the most prominent businesses of the region. The Keller's had three children, Karl (*1893), Fritz (1897), and Lina (1901).

Wilhelm's son Fritz Keller also learned the cellarman and cooper trades and eventually built the world's biggest wine barrel in 1933/34, the famous Dürkheimer Riesenfass.  Fritz Keller established the Kellerei Keller, which grew into the largest wine cellar of the Palatine in the 1960s. Lina Keller married Ludwig Theis in 1928, and eventually took over the parental wine-growing estate in 1935.

War and Reconstruction: Lina Theis (1901-1981)

Only for a brief period had Lina and Ludwig Theis a chance to head their business together. During the war, Lina had to struggle together with her father Wilhelm to bring her children up safely. Completely destroyed by a bomb, the estate was rebuild at the original location with enormous commitment from 1945 on. The children of the marriage, Hans (*1936), Else (*1938), and Werner (*1939) all learn trades related to wine production and trade, and support the parental business from early on.

The Brothers Hans and Werner Theis (*1936 and *1939)

Hans and Werner Theis took over the business in 1969/1970. Their sister Else married Gerhard Heissler and left the family home and business (without anticipating that her children would return there 30 years later). Hans and Werner restructured the business and enlarged it substantially. They focused more on private clients, acquired new technologies to modernize production and thus build the foundation of the business as it is today.

The Fourth Generation: Sibylle and Lutz Heissler (*1968 and *1972)

In 2002, with the arrival of Sibylle and Lutz Heissler, the next generation of vintners moved into the estate. The vineyard formerly known as Weingut Gebr. Theis became Weingut Theis Heissler, bringing in a new image for the house as well as the bottles. The wine is developed further to appeal to the younger palates. Today, Sibylle and Lutz share responsibility for the vines, the cellars, the customers, and the office. With Hans Theis, the cellarman of the Brothers Theis, comes an influx of historic knowledge and experience. We are proud to be running this vineyard in its fourth generation. The fact that our uncle, Hans Theis, who is still a driving force behind the winery, is not only always at hand with ample advice and know-how, but also enthusiastically contributes to daily work, lets us really draw connections between generations of vintners in the family.