It all began in the late 80s when Michael Unger and his wife-to-be drank a glass or two of rosé on the shores of Lake Chiemsee, an area that historically has little to do with wine. Perhaps that was exactly the challenge that caught Michael’s interest.

When the young couple returned from their trips to Tuscany and Piedmont, in their Volkswagen bus packed with wine boxes, the foundation stone for Unger Weine was laid. Michael soon called in his brother Wulf, to start the business seriously. Wolf, with knowledge of the financial markets and Michael, an engineer, with experience in the Italian luxury automotive industry, complemented each other perfectly. Before long, the initial cellar became too small and a new one was built, the office grew and the first employee engaged. Unger Weine had made a name for itself in the wine business with a network of trading partners around the world.

With business flourishing, the brothers felt it was time to take the next step. After almost five years of planning, development and construction, Unger Weine moved to its current location which became a benchmark in every respect. Carved deep in the local limestone, the ultra-modern, several thousand square metre large wine cellar is equipped with cutting-edge technology to provide perfect storage conditions for many of the world’s finest wines. Above ground, inserted into the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, a large traditional-style farmhouse provides the offices, the sales rooms and setting the scene for tasting events.

As Michael likes to point out, “there are many ideas about what constitutes a wine cellar, but only a cellar that offers temperatures between 10 °C – 15 °C throughout the year, combined with the possibility to control humidity, should be considered as such. These two factors are essential to prevent the bottles from evaporation or oxidation through the cork. There is less discussion about the fact that a wine cellar should be dark, offer UV-protection and be as vibration-free as possible.”

At Unger Weine, the wines are stored in a large cellar several metres under the earth, accessed via a single staircase. In this underground fortress, a sophisticated software system maintains heating, cooling and air filtration to the degree. Access to the wine cellar is limited to the absolute minimum, and precisely monitored, to protect the wine from disturbance and ensure its safe storage.

Offering one of the most extensive Bordeaux ranges in Europe and proud supplier of absolute rarities such as California’s Screaming Eagle with an annual production of a few hundred bottles, the Unger Weine portfolio is a collection of superlatives. Not satisfied with this pinnacle, the brothers saw another opportunity. In order to meet the increasing demand from private customers, reinforced by the trend towards investment buying, the two brothers opened “Unger Weine – Der Keller” a few years ago, a storage space for privately owned collections.

The Unger brothers, who could also be described as managers of a fortune worth millions, are down-to-earth as ever. Family, friends and acquaintances are prized above all else. As Michael adds with a smile: “We don’t have a single written contract with our suppliers. It’s honesty that counts.”