In 1400, Capuchin monks built a monastery and a church, which they dedicated to Our Dear Lady, together with a chapel, in which a Madonna statue stood. Pilgrims were allowed to try the wines that grew around the church, and are said to have compared its quality with the “milk of Our Dear Ladyâ€Â, – thus “Liebfraumilch†was born! Peter Joseph Valckenberg became the first to put “Liebfraumilch†on the market as of 1808, when he was able to buy the monastery and the vineyards around the Liebfrauenkirche. In 1908, Nicolas Valckenberg decided that our wines from the original Liebfraumilch site would be sold as “Liebfrauenstift†wines henceforth. Wines from vineyards in the vicinity of Worms would be labeled with the byname “MADONNA†to distinguish them from similarly-named wines. In the 1920’s, Valckenberg decided to extend their MADONNA brand and also offer higher concentrated wines like Kabinett, Spätlese, and Auslese.
