In 778, on the orders of the Emperor Charlemagne, a knight went to the Pyrenees to fight against the Moors but he was captured at the Roncevaux Pass and sold into slavery. When he returned, he built a castle and named it after his place of imprisonment. Hence the name Runkel. In the front of the Castle, the slopes were planted with the vines imported from Spain, because the pass is in Spain. Since then, they have produced a red wine called Runkeler Rote ( Runkel Red ).