Die Winzerin von Langenlois (1957)

Karl, a boy from Berlin, arrives as a holiday guest at a vineyard in Langenlois. Other children on holiday are already staying at the estate owned by Elisabeth Teky, who lives there with her daughter Monika. Elisabeth’s husband died recently, and the estate manager, Korbinian Grammelshuber, still hopes that Elisabeth will find a new husband one day. The estate is doing poorly: inherited debts and a bad harvest the previous year, along with urgently needed renovations, have led to bailiff Bindinger coming by every day and affixing seizure stickers. Elisabeth persuades Korbinian to sell the last bottles of quality wine. Korbinian now plans to write to potential wine merchants, combining the sale with a search for a suitable husband for Elisabeth. He writes to Richard Köster of the Köster wine shop in Vienna and, as if by chance, encloses a photo of Elisabeth with the letter. But the letter is opened by Richard’s domineering aunt Stefanie, who runs the wine shop. To get Richard away from his secret girlfriend, pop singer Yvonne Sommer, Stefanie sends him to Langenlois to taste and buy wine. Richard, however, wants to accompany Yvonne to an engagement in Salzburg, so he passes the assignment on to his best friend, Jörg Strasser. A stressed-out teacher, Jörg is glad to be able to enjoy a quiet holiday in Langenlois. But as a passionate beer drinker, he knows nothing about wine. In Langenlois, Jörg first meets Korbinian and makes it clear that he doesn’t want to see any children during his stay. The six children present are then hidden from Jörg in the house. Jörg, meanwhile, takes a liking to Elisabeth and dutifully tastes the wines she serves him. One day, when the six children are out in their little pony cart, they come across the sleeping Bindinger and steal his briefcase containing the seizure stickers. When he wakes up, he takes the pony cart, and the children don’t dare return to Elisabeth without it. She is beside herself with worry and also holds Jörg responsible for their disappearance. They search for the children together, and Jörg eventually finds them. Jörg and Elisabeth make up. Bindinger, however, wants his money as soon as possible, and Jörg would have to sign a purchase agreement. He tries to reach Richard in Salzburg, but Richard and Yvonne have both had their engagements canceled. Jörg then sends a telegram to Vienna, and Stefanie, now on alert, travels to Langenlois. By now, Richard and Yvonne have also arrived there. They have secretly married and now plan to stage a fake wine auction at which Stefanie is supposed to bid on all of Elisabeth’s stock. Stefanie arrives, and at first everything goes well. After an incident, Stefanie discovers that the wine auction is a sham and withdraws from the deal. It seems that everything has been in vain. But the children prevent Stefanie from leaving, and Elisabeth tells her that Richard and Yvonne are married. The children also tell Stefanie that the vineyard is on the brink of ruin. Stefanie, who had actually been eager to buy the wines, pays off the estate’s debts and secures the exclusive right to purchase all of Elisabeth’s future vintages. There is a happy ending: Elisabeth and Jörg get together, Richard and Yvonne receive Stefanie’s blessing, and Stefanie, in turn, gets a kiss from the delighted Korbinian.