Worms, 1808: Peter Joseph Valckenberg, a native of the Netherlands, had been running a flourishing wine merchant business for more than twenty years. Then, a unique opportunity presented itself. Under the reign of Napoleon, in times of huge social change, the vineyards of the recently dissolved Monastery of Our Lady (Liebfrauenstift) are put up for auction to be sold to the highest bidder. The merchant grabs his chance and, by doing so, shows excellent business acumen: He knows of the excellent reputation that the Liebfraumilch wine enjoys among the pilgrims and traveling salesmen from all over the world. A few centuries earlier, the Capuchin monks plied many pilgrims with this wine.With P.J. Valckenberg at the helm of the company, the wines of the Liebfrauenstift estate winery are marketed as one of the first internationally successful German wines. Royal houses and dukes in England and Scandinavia adore the multi-facetted wines. The start of a passion that even today continues to be shared by wine connoisseurs from all around the world.Throughout times of crisis, this coveted piece of land has been kept and used for viticulture by the descendents of Valckenberg to this very day.
