When the Vinea Wachau was founded in 1983 as ‘Regional Protection Association of the Wachau’. The history of success that followed the initiative of this association is well known and can be summed up in a couple of words: following partly rigorous but always necessary rules and restrictions, the Wachau quickly transformed into one of the most impressive white-wine regions of the world. Back then, we all subscribed to a set of rules that are above all concerned with guaranteeing the natural state of our products. We declared various oenological interventions as illegal, which range from chaptalization to osmosis, from using barrique to fractionation. Above all, however, and this is what I deem most important, we always try to emphasise the origin, originality and character of the individual places and terraces in the Wachau. And this is how one of the founding principles has to be understood: the Vinea Wachau was above all concerned about raising awareness and about showing how unique the Wachau and its wines can be.