On the history of wine-growing in Saxony

Anyone opening themselves up to Saxony’s wine land along the Elbe can find witnesses everywhere to the wine culture of earlier times.

The Weinbergkirche (Vineyard Church) in Pillnitz and the old wine-growing estates from Radebeul to Diesbar are evidence of the great history of today’s wine cultivation. Planting on the first vineyards on the Elbe goes back many centuries. Around 1000 A.D., settlement of the country around Meissen began, along with its cultivation by the monastery. Cistercian monks brought wine-growing to Saxony. The first verified report of such originates from 1161. Excellent wine harvests and the care of the dukes led to a blossoming of wine-growing which stretched into the 17th century. Elector Christian issued an exemplary Vineyard Ordinance in 1588 in which all 23 of the types of vineyard work required at that time are listed.

At the end of the 18th century, the yields decreased dramatically. There were multiple causes: crop failures, altered climatic conditions and the competition from beer, brandy, coffee and cocoa. There were repeated attempts to rescue Saxon’s wine-growing. "Confirmed at the Highest Level of Dukedom", the "Sächsische Winzergenossenschaft" (Saxon Winegrowing Company), Europe’s first wine-growing concern, was founded on November 18th, 1799, in Meissen. Under its care, Europe’s first wine-growing school was founded in 1811 in Meissen.

In the mid-1880s, Saxony again suffered a renewed setback as a result of a vine pest plague. The infected vines had to be rooted out and the areas were forced to be laid fallow. Only in 1907 did renewed planting take place with pest-resistant refined vines.

Today, 425 hectares of yielding vineyard surface area have again become an indispensable component of Saxony’s cultural landscape.