Rheinhessen is one of the biggest wine-growing regions in Germany located on the left bank of the Rhine bend between Bingen, Mainz and Worms in the shape of a huge triangle. The evidence of viticulture practices is going back to Roman times with the oldest documented vineyard in the country the Glöck vineyard, which was mentioned in a document in 742. Emperor Charlemagne. The "Land of 1,000 Hills" as it is called because of its hilly topography the region has soils mainly formed by loess, as well as sand, marl, limestone, clay, brown earth, quartzite and porphyry, and together with the ideal climatic conditions for viticulture, makes this area one of the best-suited regions for the production of a wide range of grape varieties. Rheinhessen has three main wine-growing areas, Bingen, Nierstein and Wonnegau, altogether 24 major sites and 434 individual sites (vineyards). The most planted grape is the Müller-Thurgau followed by the Riesling, Dornfelder, Sylvaner, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and the Scheurebe which has been created by Georg Scheu in 1916 in Rheinhessen. Back in the days, a blended white wine was very popular and some may remember Rheinhessen as the birthplace of Liebfraumilch, the soft, mellow white wine traditionaly made from grapes grown in vineyards around the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). Nowadays those wine are in abundance, and quality dry and sweeter styled Rieslings are more in fashion together with the boom of the red wines as well as sparkling wine from this region.