Wine Shop

Legend has it that, in the 8th century, the Emperor Charlemagne stood on the river bank opposite the Rheingau hills observing where the winter snows first melted. Seeing the area which first lay bare, he commanded that vineyards be planted at the site. How prophetic of Charlemagne; how fortunate for the world. Germany still retains some of the impressive monasteries from the Middle Ages and the large vineyards planted by the aristocracy. There were wars, politics, and plagues to destroy the vines and back-breaking work to rebuild them. The status of German wine returned by the 19th century but then in the mid-20th century its quality fell as vintners chose to produce wines in large quantities with decreased quality. Recent efforts to improve the image of German wines by producing lower yields with higher quality are encouraging.