The history of German wines go back to the Roman Empire, with evidence of cultivation found from the first century.  Wild vines growing in the Rhine region may have been used to make early German wines. The laws on German wines provide a specific list of varietals allowed to be produced and sold.  German wines are then further classified according to quality.  The production areas for German wines are farther north than most others in the world and as such vineyards plant heartier German wine grape varietals including hybrids.  German Wines have thirteen designated quality regions along with several smaller regions that are responsible for the production of table wines and country wines.  The table wines are labeled Tafelwein, the regional wines are labeled Landwein, the quality wines are labeled with Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) and the quality wines with distinction are labeled as Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (QmP).  Some of the most widely planted varietals for German wines include Riesling, Mller-Thurgau, Sptburgunder,, Silvaner, and Traminer.  Generally you will find lower alcohol levels in German Wines.