Sichel, influential wine family now made up of two very distinct branches. The family originated in Germany and was involved with wine from the early 19th century. The direct descendants of the German founders established the wine and spirits distribution company H. Sichel Söhne at Mainz in Germany in 1857 and it grew to be an important commercial force (see jewish heritage in german wine culture). Its activities were severely curtailed during the First World War but a successful export business was developed in the 1930s, based increasingly on the branded wine blue nun Liebfraumilch. Walter Sichel re-established a London office for Sichel in 1927 and had to work to overcome prejudice against all things German. In 1935, he became a naturalized British citizen, and the Sichels remaining in Germany were dispersed to Britain, France, and the United States. It was during the 1950s that Blue Nun began to establish itself as one of the world’s most successful wines.
