Germany’s most important grape variety, Riesling, celebrates its birthday on Monday 13th March. On this day in the year 1435, the grape variety was mentioned for the first time in a written document. To mark the occasion, all around the world, wine lovers will be celebrating #RieslingBirthday.

Did you know?

Almost a quarter of the vineyard acreage in Germany is planted with Riesling grapes. This variety is considered the figurehead of German viticulture. Riesling determines the global image of the 13 German growing regions like no other variety, and Germany is considered the home of Riesling, because 45 percent of the world’s Riesling is grown there.

A bit of history…

The early distribution of Riesling is first documented in Germany in the 15th century. The growth, the size of the grape berries, the long maturation period and frost resistance showed the relationship with wild vines. Winegrowers Rheingau and Mosel have the longest Riesling tradition; from those regions, there are historical documents dating to the years 1435 and 1465, respectively. Evidence of the spread in today’s Rheinhessen and the Pfalz region (Palatinate) date back to the end of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century.