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The former Berlin Senator of Finance, CDU politician and wine producer Elmar Pieroth is dead. He died after a short, serious illness at the age of 83. Pieroth came from a family of winegrowers in Bad Kreuznach (Nahe). He did not join the business as his parents had wished, but studied economics and in the 1960s built up the first direct sales business for wine, initially from his family estate. His company quickly became internationally successful. He created new social standards for his employees and gave them a share in the company. He also introduced social balance sheets for the first time.
In 1969 he left the management to devote himself exclusively to politics. In 1981 he was appointed Senator for Economics in Berlin. In 1985 his company was involved in the glycol wine scandal. Pieroth stated that he knew nothing about what was going on in the company. Former managers contradicted him, however. However, the investigations of the public prosecutor's office could not prove Pieroth's involvement. In 1984, the 3,600 employees of Ferdinand Pieroth GmbH achieved a turnover of about 640 million marks. As a result of the scandal, the company came to the brink of extinction and was renamed WIV Wein International with its headquarters at Burg Layen. Since 2018, the company has been carrying its old name again.
(uka / Photo: Bürgermut Foundation)