http://www.cogsci.ed.ac.uk/~peru/history.html
 
FYI:
 
> A Brief History of German Wine
>
> The origins of viticulture in Germany can be traced back to the
> Romans, at the first century. The earliest vineyards existed at the
> left bank of the Rhine, and plantings spread to the Mosel probably
> around the 3rd century. The vine advanced further in the Middle
> Ages, mainly through the church, its monastries in particular. In
> the Rheingau, Benedictines founded an abbey which later became the
> Schloss Johannisberg. Kloster Eberbach was established by
> Cistercians in 1135. The planting of vines reached a high point in
> the 15th century, when the area under vine was four times larger
> than it is today. This included Alsace, which was the most highly
> esteemed region during that period. The most important early variety
> was probably Elbling. Silvaner, Muskat, Traminer, Spdtburgunder, and
> Trollinger were also known. Riesling arrived relatively late, and is
> first reliably documented in the Rheingau in 1435 and in the Mosel
> not much later. Different varieties were generally mixed within a
> vineyard, rather than carefully distinguished.
>
>    A serious crises developed around the 17th century, when prices
>    fell, due to overproduction and competition from beer. The 30
> Year War raged, which ended in 1648, with Alsace becoming a French
> province. In the wake of the disaster, quality improved as
> unsuitable land was returned to other uses. Riesling replaced lesser
> varieties, often by decree from political and clerical authorities.
> The term "Cabinet" was first used in 1712 by the Kloster Eberbach to
> indicate wines of superior quality. In 1720 the first monoculture of
> Riesling was planted at Schloss Johannisberg. Noble Rot was
> discovered a little later, and Kloster Eberbach produced a
> successful wine from botrytised grapes in 1753. The invention of
> Spdtlese (see picture) is generally dated at 1775, when the harvest
> at Schloss Johannisberg was delayed by accident, resulting in a late
> harvest of largely rotten grapes. The wines made from these grapes
> became a legend.
>
> In the 19th century, in the wake of the French occupation, most of
> the church's wine estates were secularised. Technological progress,
> such as the invention of the ``Oechsle" must weight scale, helped to
> further improve the wines. In many ways, German wine entered a
> golden age. The great estates of the Rheinpfalz and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
> rose to fame, alongside the Rheingau. At the hight of its prestige,
> Rhine wine generally sold at prices above those of first growth
> Bordeaux. The Mosel's first Trockenbeerenauslese was made by the
> Thanisch estate from the Bernkasteler Doctor vineyard in 1921, and
> created something of a ``Doctor cult". Yet, times were not easy
> during the deterioration of the political and economic situation in
> the early 20th century. Phylloxera added to the troubles. The worst
> blow to German wine since the 17th century came with the Nazis, when
> the 2nd world war eventually devastated Germany's wine regions,
> along with much of the rest of Europe.
>
> German Wine since 1945
>
> Germany's economy recovered surprisingly quick from the disaster,
> yet the German wine industry slowly began to loose its way in the
> ``economic miracle". Post war western Germany saw large increases in
> wine production, and consumption. New vineyards were planted,
> usually on flat land which was accessible to machines, and suitable
> for production of high quantities of wine at lower costs. The Mosel
> area for example expanded to twice its size by planting on the
> valley floor and gentler hillsides of less than ideal exposure. New
> crossings of varieties were introduced, in particular M|ller
> Thurgau, which ripen reliably in inferior sites, producing high
> quantities, rather than quality. Clonal selection, chemical
> fertilisation, and heavy use of pesticides, and new cellar
> technology added to the increase in output. The average yield used
> to be around 20hl/ha in earlier centuries. By the 1950s it had
> doubled, only to reach 80hl/ha by 1971. Over 100hl/ha, on average,
> was common practise in the early 80s. The notorious wine law of 1971
> cemented the confusion of must weight with quality, and allowed
> labels to carry the names of large, undistinguished vineyards zones,
> with no indication of their inferiority to the finest single sites.
>
> As German consumers became more wealthy, and open to the world, the
> demand for cheap, sweetish German wine dropped in favor of imported
> dry wines from France and Italy. By the 80s the good name of German
> wine had been practically ruined at home by the ocean of sugar water
> that spilled from its vineyards. Exports increased, with the largest
> share of Liebfraumilch et al. going to the UK, which tripled during
> the 80s. The whole direction of the German wine industry clearly
> pointed to a dead end, as labor costs and climatic conditions do not
> favor mass production of wine in Germany, and sweetness, which masks
> the lack of flavor of so many bad German wines, is rejected by most
> wine drinkers. To make things worse, even at many top estates
> quality standards were slipping. The production of dry wines
> increased during the 80s, to cope with the changes in demand. This
> has revitalised the German wine landscape, although too often these
> dry wines only expose the inferiority of the fruit that they were
> made from.
>
> In recent years the gloomy picture has become brighter again.
> Various ambitious smaller growers have rediscovered the superb
> potential of Germany's best vineyards to produce unique wines, which
> only a depressingly small number of producers, such as J.J. Pr|m,
> had continued to demonstrate throughout all those years. Good dry
> wines are being made, and are held in high regard by the more
> discerning consumers. Sweeter versions from Kabinetts to Auslesen
> are still widely misunderstood though, and thus present often
> bargains among the worlds fine wines. At the rare top end of
> production, the world wide demand is high enough for the greatest
> BA's, TBA's, and Eisweine to fetch astronomic prices.
>
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