The earliest finds of the remains of vines were discovered 140 million years BC. Between 5000 and 3000 BC, Indo-Germanic peoples in the river valleys of south-west Asia made wine from the grapes of wild vines. Between 2000 and 750 BC, winegrowing was introduced to Greece by the Phoenicians, where wine developed from a medicinal drink to the favourite drink of the nation. The Hellenes have gone down in history as the forefathers of viticulture. In Western Europe, winegrowing only began in around 600 BC with the establishment of the port in Marseilles (France) and due to the improvements of existing vines achieved by the Greeks.

Many years later, the Germanic peoples still only drank Greek wine. The Romans ensured that viticulture spread from Gall (France) to Germania in around 50 BC. In approximately 100 AD, the Germanic peoples living in what is now know as Baden purchased wine from the region to the west of the Rhine, now know as Alsace (France). In the period between 780 AD and 1650 AD, winegrowing experienced many ups and downs. The actual history of winegrowing in Baden begins after this time of crisis.

In 1700, German viticulture reached new heights in the Rhine regions (south Baden) where the climate was favourable. At this time, quality wines were also promoted by the local princes and the monasteries that were still in existence. Karl Friedrich von Baden (1728-1811) was a particularly important patron of viticulture and he also had a great influence on the landscape. He was to thank for the fact that winegrowing was abandoned on flatlands and on poor slopes. Instead, he ensured that the south-facing slopes which had previously been neglected, e.g. Kaiserstuhl in Freiburg, Tuniberg and various other winegrowing areas, were planted with the best grape varieties.