The first vines were planted in this area by the Celts some 2,400 years ago. The Romans influenced the viticulture especially in the area of Poetovium (Ptuj = Pettau). The Roman wine author Pliny the Elder (23-79) mentioned viticulture in the karst area and called these wines an elixir of life. During the migration of the peoples, viticulture came to a standstill again. But in the Middle Ages the wines were highly valued at the courts of Imperial Vienna and Archbishop Salzburg. The Austrian Archduke Johann (1782-1859) owned a model vineyard near Maribor (Marburg). Even today the influences of the historical and long affiliation to Austria-Hungary can be felt. As in most European countries, large areas of vineyards fell victim to phylloxera in the second half of the 19th century.