wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

The "Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V." was founded in 1910 under the name "Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer e.V.". This was done on the initiative of the mayor of Trier Albert von Bruchhausen (1859-1948), who was also the first chairman of the association. The model and predecessor was the Großer Ring VDP Mosel, founded two years earlier. The founding members were associations from several wine-growing regions. The aim at the time was to sell the members' wines, produced according to special quality standards, at auctions. In 1972, the name was changed from "Verband der Versteigerungsvereine" to "Verband der Weingüter". In 1990, the name was changed to "Verband Deutscher Prädikatswein- und Qualitätsweingüter e.V." (Association of German Prädikat and Quality Wine Estates) and the objectives were revised. Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm became president.

VDP - Mitgliedschaft

VDP Manifesto and VDP Classification

In 1994, it was decided to abandon the regulation on large vineyards and to introduce regular company inspections. The VDP Manifesto was adopted in 1996 to safeguard the wine cultural heritage for the future. Uniform classification principles for Gewächse Deutscher Herkunft were introduced in 1998. As the name proved to be too long and cumbersome for use in marketing, it was changed to "Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V." in 2000. In press relations and advertising materials, the word mark is "VDP - Die Prädikatsweingüter". In 2002, a three-tier and in 2012 an extended four-tier VDP classification model was adopted.

VDP organisation

The VDP is divided into a federal association and ten regional associations. The organs of the federal association are the general meeting and the board of directors. The board consists of the president, six vice-presidents, the presidents of the regional associations and the management. In July 2007, the General Assembly elected Steffen Christmann as President to succeed Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm, who had been in office for 17 years, and decided to expand the Executive Committee to seven members. In addition to Michael Graf Adelmann (Württemberg) and Reinhard Löwenstein (Mosel) as vice-presidents, Armin Diel (Nahe), Paul Fürst (Franconia), Joachim Heger (Baden) as well as Wilhelm Weil (Rheingau) are represented. At the beginning of 2022, Theresa Olkus replaced Hilke Nagel as managing director after almost 30 years in office.

VDP - Präsidium-und-Regionalvorsitzende

VDP objectives

Christmann named the consistent implementation of the new classification and the specification of contemporary quality standards as the most important tasks. In addition, VDP member wineries are to be sensitised to sustainability in viticulture. The main goals are image cultivation, promotion of the striving for quality, regulation of sales conditions as well as the members' claim to representation vis-à-vis other associations. The VDP predicate wineries see themselves as the elite of German wine producers. As of July 2016, there were 198 member wineries organised in the ten regional VDP associations. Seven of them represent one growing region each and three represent two. These are Baden, Franconia, Middle Rhine, Nahe and Ahr, Moselle, Palatinate, Rheingau and Hessische Bergstrasse, Saxony and Saale-Unstrut, and Württemberg.

VDP membership

Membership of the VDP is only granted after a lengthy period of observation or examination. Members must commit to adhering to strict quality standards with higher standards than those set out in the German Wine Law. These are lower yields, higher must weights and manual harvesting from Prädikat Auslese onwards. The vineyards must be in top locations and have at least 80% of the traditional grape varieties of the growing regions. The vineyards must be cultivated according to environmentally compatible methods with cover crop and organic fertilisation in order to promote the natural humus supply. A concept for organic-ecological cultivation has been developed with the association Naturland. Membership must be confirmed at least every five years by renewed VDP inspections. The wines must bear the VDP sign (coat of arms with black eagle) on the label and capsule. With 4,000 hectares, the VDP vineyards account for only about four percent of the German vineyard area, but the share of quality and Prädikat wines is much higher. On average, VDP estates have been family-owned for eight generations. VDP membership is a winery classification.

VDP - Flaschen mit VDP-Kapsel

Further information

The rules for classifying or categorising vineyards and wines are described under VDP Classification. See a list of all VDP wineries in the wine guide from Wein-Plus and also on the VDP website.

Pictures: © VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter

Voices of our members

Egon Mark

For me, Lexicon from wein.plus is the most comprehensive and best source of information about wine currently available.

Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)

The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

26,367 Keywords · 46,924 Synonyms · 5,323 Translations · 31,701 Pronunciations · 201,864 Cross-references
made with by our author Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer. About the Lexicon

EVENTS NEAR YOU