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Forty years ago, the Charta Association was founded in the Rheingau. Its goal was: "Away from sweet mass wine, back to the typical Rheingau Riesling." It continues to promote the origin-related Rheingau Riesling, which is subject to mandatory quality standards. It must be a "balanced, classic Rheingau Riesling that shows dry and has a high aging potential." All Charta wines come from the best sites in the Rheingau and must be made from 100 percent fully ripe Riesling grapes. To ensure quality, the wines are evaluated in a blind tasting and only approved if the Charta typicity is recognizable. Due to the definition as a selection wine, the indication of a location has been waived for many years. The "little siblings" of the site wines may not be marketed until September 1 of the year following the harvest.
This protective community for the rescue of the classic Rheingau Riesling quickly grew to 50 member businesses and was the initial spark for the later classification of vineyard sites. In 1992, the Charta winemakers presented their Erste Gewächse from clearly defined top sites. In 1999, the Charta merged with the VDP.Rheingau. In 2012, the classification pyramid of the VDP was formed on this basis. The number of Charta wines then decreased significantly.
Today, 13 VDP wineries still produce Charta Rieslings, which have carried a Romanesque double arch on the capsule as a symbol since then. On November 7, 2024, the anniversary party will take place at the Draiser Hof of the Baron Knyphausen winery.
(al / Source: Press Release)