In the Middle Ages, East German viticulture extended as far as Pomerania and East Prussia, as evidenced by many place names. At the best time, the vineyards amounted to about 4,000 hectares. About 50 kilometres away from Zielona Góra (Grünberg) in western Poland's Silesia, Cistercian monks from the Klasztor Paradyż (Kloster Paradies) established the first vineyards as early as 1250. Since 1852 the traditional wine festival "Winobranie" (grape harvest) has been held here every year. In the 19th century, the vineyards still comprised around 1,400 hectares of vines, most of which were planted in the vicinity of Catholic monasteries. After the Second World War (1939-1945) viticulture came to a virtual standstill. A cautious new beginning began in the 1990s. Today the vineyards cover around 300 hectares. They are cultivated by around 400 winegrowers, often with very small areas. The majority are garden owners and fruit growers who produce wines only for their own needs.
About 200 hectares of them are located at the mentioned Zielona Góra. A well-known wine from this area is Monte Verde (Green Mountain). The remaining areas are located near Warka near Warsaw, as well as in the south-east of Poland, in the foothills of the Carpathians on the Wisloka River near the city of Jaslo. The Polish vineyards are among the most northern vineyards in the world. Therefore, early ripening, fungus-resistant grape varieties such as Jutrzenka, Léon Millot, Ortega, Regent, Rondo, Seyval Blanc, Siegerrebe and Sibera are cultivated. With Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay experiments are being carried out. It is possible that Polish viticulture will benefit from climate change. With its accession to the EU in 2004, Poland received the status of a wine-growing region for the first time. However, there are still no PDO areas or quality wines of protected origin.
