Legend · Bernkastel-Kues · 14th century
The wine that cured the archbishop
How the famous "Bernkasteler Doctor" vineyard got its name.
In the 14th century, Boemund II, Archbishop and Elector of Trier, lay gravely ill in Landshut castle high above Bernkastel. No physician could help him.
Then a winegrower from Bernkastel brought him a small cask of wine from his best vineyard. The archbishop drank – and recovered. "This wine is the best doctor!" he is said to have exclaimed.
Ever since, the steep vineyard above the old town has been called "Bernkasteler Doctor". Whether it really happened, nobody knows – but its wine is still among the most famous in Germany.
Legends are traditions, not historical facts.
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