The first mention of the Wachau was in a Carolingian document in 830 A.D. While the local tradition of wine-growing actually dates back to the time the Romans settled in the Wachau, the first golden age of wine truly blossomed under Carolingian rule. In the Middle Ages the wines of the Wachau were already known far beyond the borders of Austria. There are not many landscapes in Europe which have such clearly defined borders like the Wachau: the Danube valley between Melk and Krems.  The Wachau represents the history which transpired along these 33 kilometers of river.  It is a landscape shaped by wine, as well as a cultural landscape, nestled between the majestic Benedictine monasteries of Melk and Göttweig.