VDP Eastward expansion completed – Recent regional association established

The Proschwitz Castle and Zimmerling (Saxony) wine estates and Pawis and Lützkendorf (Saale-Unstrut) wineries are the founding members. “We are proud to have these pioneers of winegrowing in our ranks. Shortly after reunification, they embraced the VDP’s quality-oriented philosophy and now they are indisputably the leading estates of their respective regions,” applauded VDP President Steffen Christmann.

In regard to the chosen date of the foundation Christmann said: “It is a great pleasure for us, 20 years after German reunification, to perform the founding particularly on this very memorable day in the history of the Prädikat Wine Estates – with such a wide circle of politicians, press and society.” Christmann, who performed the founding together with VDP Honorary President Michael Prince of Salm-Salm Proschwitz Castle added: “This is a milestone for the world’s oldest association of top wineries, which, in 2010, consists of nearly 200 members in all German wine-growing regions!”

Exactly a century ago, on November 26th, 1910, 13 wine estates owners and wine experts of the “noble wine-growing regions” Mosel, Pfalz, Rheinhessen and Rheingau, joined forces in the Monopol hotel in Koblenz to form the “Association of German Natural Wine Auctioneers” (VDNV). The request: A common association for top wineries which had only been organized regionally so far, common rules for the auctions, to promote German wine - preferably abroad - to protect the original filling. One hundred years later, a smaller, but no less illustrious group gathers at Proschwitz Castle in Saxony. A truly memorable day for German viticulture! (red.yoopress)