The clever Romans discovered the best slopes to plant vines, two thousand years ago in Germany. Wine was then particularly important, not just to keep their fighting legions happy, but to avoid having to drink water which was unsafe in those days.

Nearly 150 years ago, vineyards were rated for tax purposes, and those ratings are today still accurate, red being highest rating and thus highest taxation,  partly also coinciding with what the Romans found by trial-and-error: