Did you know there was originally only one brand of Liebfraumilch?! In 1808, Peter Joseph Valckenberg bought the majority of the vineyards that surrounded the famous Liebfrauenkirche in Worms, Germany. This church was a stop on the Campostela pilgrimage trail; Christians would visit the historic statue of Madonna in the vineyards to receive a blessing. The wine the monks produced here was popular and nicknamed “Liebfraumilch” (the Milk of Madonna). Valckenberg started labeling the wine as such, and exporting it throughout Europe, where it became famous. In 1908, with the emergence of other wines calling themselves Liebfraumilch, Valckenberg branded their original one Madonna, after the statue (that still exists today). All of the Madonna wines are from the same blend - the Kabinett/Spatlese/Auslese are just sweeter, and the prädikat levels cannot bear the title Liebfraumilch, another reason why they are all branded Madonna.
