The golden age of vines in Alsace began in the first half of the 16th century. The whole region experienced good harvests due to a particularly suitable climatic period. The wine trade also became freer, and businesses flourished. The stalls of wine merchants and coopers multiplied in Riquewihr. Its half-timbered Renaissance-style houses are testaments to the prosperity of their owners. Alsace's wines were exported throughout Europe thanks to river transport on the Ill and the Rhine. Municipalities, monasteries, and lords benefited from the lucrative taxes imposed on wine.