Vines have been cultivated since AD 998 on the hillsides lining the Saale and Unstrut rivers which lend their name to the small, but growing, Saale-Unstrut region. It is among the northernmost of Europe’s traditional wine regions. Due to this latitude and the cooler climate, the weather is more variable than in the regions to the west. As such, many of the vines are planted on labour-intensive stone terraces that help temper the climate. Most of the wines here are from white varietals and vinified in a dry style.