Magazine · History

History.

On the grape and its origins, vineyards and people, history and curiosities. Researched, backed by sources and told without hurry.

History

3 articles

22 shillings for vine cuttings: how Riesling entered the records in 1435

The oldest known mention of Riesling is not a hymn of praise but an entry in a cellar account from Rüsselsheim. What it actually says, what scholars still argue about, and what the town makes of it today.

From Naturwein to Große Lage: how the VDP classification came about

Gutswein, Ortswein, Erste Lage, Große Lage: today the VDP’s pyramid seems a matter of course. Behind it lies a detour of more than a century, by way of auctions, a contentious wine law and a great deal of committee work.

The Spätlesereiter: how a late messenger made wine history

In 1775 Schloss Johannisberg waited too long for permission from Fulda to start the harvest, and the result was a wine that left its cellar master enraptured. What the famous story can prove, and where the legend takes over.