German Wine Queen

Lena Endesfelder, German Wine Queen 2016/17
German Wine Queen 2011/2012: Annika Strebel (Rheinhessen wine region)

The German Wine Queen (German: Deutsche Weinkönigin) is the representative of the German wine industry. She is elected, usually in the Palatine town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, for a period of one year.[1][2] The title is competed for by the regional wine queens of the thirteen German wine regions producing "quality" wine.

The 68th German Wine Queen is Lena Endesfelder from the Mosel region;[3] she was chosen on 30 September 2016 for the period 2016/2017.

History

Beginnings

In 1931 the first German wine region, the Palatinate, crowned its own wine queen. The idea for this "Palatine Wine Queen" came from publisher, Daniel Meininger. At his suggestion, Ruth Bachrodt (later Theysohn) was elected. She came from Pirmasens in Western Palatinate where, in fact, no wine is produced.[4] Her successor, Cecily Seitz, was elected in 1932 by popular request. In 1933, control of the festival was taken over by Nazi leaders. Until the beginning of the Second World War, the official Gau Photographer sought out the "prettiest young woman associated with the wine industry" on behalf of the very popular Gauleiter of the Palatinate, Joseph Buerckel.

Because the Palatine Wine Queen was Germany's only wine queen, she automatically represented the German wine industry in general as well as the Palatine wine region until 1939, and then again, from 1947 until 1949. In 1949, there was still only one competition but, following the election, Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies from Diedesfeld, was officially nominated as the German Wine Queen, so that she officially became both the Palatine and German Wine Queen in the same year.[4]

Criteria for candidates

Since 1950, the German Wine Queen has been elected in a separate competition. Each year, every recognized German wine region selects its local wine queen. From these regional wine queens, the German Wine Queen is chosen the following year. Until 1999, it was a condition that the candidates had to be single - they could be neither married nor divorced - and had to come from a family of winemakers. Since 2000, the candidates who apply have only had to have "clear and strong ties with German wines," demonstrated by "appropriate wine-related training and / or a family relationship with the local wine production and / or the qualification as an area wine queen". In addition, applicants must be at least 18 years old on the day of election.[5]

Changing requirements

For about 30 years the wine queens represented the traditional image of the pretty and virtuous maiden in traditional costume, the only significant change being in 1966 when the original sceptre was replaced by a wine glass. As the newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, said in 1950, the candidates were "true daughters of the vineyards, they were of powerful build, healthy and wholesome". Their assessment, at that time, included performing a waltz and giving a speech.[6] Until the late 1950s, the ceremonial duties of the German Wine Queen were mainly restricted to domestic markets. There were appearances at wine festivals during Green Week and at social events such as the awarding of the German Wine Culture Prize. Trips abroad, such as to Belgium (Irmgard Mohler) or to Spain (Wilma Seyer, later Scholl) remained the exception. However, the then Foreign Minister, Heinrich von Brentano, recognized the diplomatic potential for the image of the young federal republic, when he presented Wilma Seyer at the "Diplomats' Wine Festival" in Eberbach Monastery that he had initiated. By the following year, the Palatine, later German, Wine Queen, Christel Koch, traveled to the USA, the first time a wine queen from Germany had done so.

In the 1980s the image of the Wine Queen in public began to fundamentally change, especially with the election of personalities such as Karin Molitor (1982/83) and Petra Mayer (1988/89). In 1981 the wearing of the dirndl, the traditional dress that had been obligatory for photo calls, was scrapped. From the 1990s, it changed from being a role for young women vintners or those who were linked to the wine trade, to being a career springboard into politics (Julia Klöckner), into marketing (Katja Schweder, Evelyn Schmidt), into gastronomy (Carina Dostert) or starting small businesses (Sandra Hake, Sylvia Benzinger). Selection is no longer based so much on good looks and dancing skills today; more important, in addition to a knowledge of oenology and winemaking technology, quick wit and eloquence are required as well as proficiency in foreign languages and a knowledge of the export business.[6] As a result, a preparatory seminar for the candidates was introduced in Neustadt an der Weinstraße in 2009.[1]

Selection

Venue

Inscription on Neustadt festival hall (Saalbau): Coronation site of the German Wine Queen
Postal frank for Neustadt an der Weinstraße: Coronation town of the German Wine Queen

The German Wine Queen competition is arranged by the German Wine Institute (DWI) whose head office is in Bodenheim.[7] It is traditionally held in the Saalbau festival hall in Neustadt on the occasion of the German Wine Harvest Festival on the Friday of the second festival week in October. However, the venue can be changed on important occasions. In addition to Neustadt an der Weinstraße, other venues have been:

  1. 1952 Freiburg im Breisgau
  2. 1954 Heilbronn
  3. 1957 Würzburg
  4. 1960 Bad Dürkheim
  5. 1963, 2016 Mainz
  6. 1966 Stuttgart
  7. 1969 Offenburg
  8. 1972 Stuttgart
  9. 1975 Stuttgart
  10. 1984 Trier
  11. 1988 Berlin
  12. 1993 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
  13. 1998 Freyburg (Unstrut)
  14. 2006 Dresden (800th anniversary of the city, the most important place in the Saxon wine region)
  15. 2009 Heilbronn
    1. In May 2009, the DWI and the Mayor of Neustadt an der Weinstraße signed a contract that stipulates Neustadt as the coronation venue until 2020. This rule may be waived no more than three times per decade, "to give other German wine regions the opportunity to host the coronation in order to respond to special events and celebrations."[1][2]
  16. 2013 Offenburg, Oberrheinhalle; preliminary round on 7 September; final round for the six remaining regional queens on 13 September.

Election process

In recent times the election process has changed several times. In 2009, for the first time, the competition was broadcast on a large screen outside the venue. In the first round, 12 of the 13 regional wine queens faced a rigorous oral examination with questions about viticultural and winemaking techniques, as well as wine labelling, packaging and marketing, from a panel of 80 judges. In addition each candidate had to assist - in English - a "confused foreign tourist" visiting Germany's wine country. Only six candidates went through to the second and final round, a televised "gala" attended by 1,300 guests and watched by more than a million viewers, where the 18- to 25-year-olds had to demonstrate they could field questions on wine-making spontaneously. After the competition, the newly elected wine queen and her two princesses were invited by the Minister for Agriculture and the town of Heilbronn to a festival banquet, the so-called "After-Show Party".[8][9]

During their one-year term of office, the Wine Queen and Wine Princesses advertise German wine at trade fairs, wine festivals and other events. The Wine Queen, in particular, is the ambassador of German wine-growers and their products at some 250 appearances in Germany and abroad.[9][10]

Results

German wine queens since 1949

The following table lists all German wine queens since 1949:[11]

# Year Wine Queen Born/died Age when
elected 		Wine region Town of origin
1. 1949/1950 Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies 1930–2012 19 Palatinate Diedesfeld
2. 1950/1951 Marie-Elisabeth Pütz, later Steffen 1925 25 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer (since 2006 Moselle) Saarburg
3. 1951/1952 Gisela Koch Mittelrhein St. Goarshausen
4. 1952/1953 Elisabeth Huber Baden Neuweier
5. 1953/1954 Mathilde Machwirth Nahe Guldental
6. 1954/1955 Erika Hofmann Rheinhessen St. Johann
7. 1955/1956 Irmgard Mohler 1937–1981 18 Palatinate Bad Bergzabern
8. 1956/1957 Margret Hoffranzen, later Wilmes ?–2002 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Mehring (Moselle)
9. 1957/1958 Karoline Hartmann 18 Franconia Rödelsee
10. 1958/1959 Rosemarie Schreck 24 Franconia Klingenberg
11. 1959/1960 Wilma Seyer, later Scholl 1939 20 Rheingau Kiedrich
12. 1960/1961 Christel Koch 18 Palatinate Ungstein
13. 1961/1962 Marlies Kaiser 22 Rheinhessen Dintesheim
14. 1962/1963 Marita Heinzen, later Schmitz 19 Ahr Ahrweiler
15. 1963/1964 Inge Schwaab, later Heidenreich Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Zeltingen
16. 1964/1965 Marita Bäuerlein 20 Franconia Volkach
17. 1965/1966 Waltraud Hey 19 Palatinate Oberotterbach
18. 1966/1967 Ilse Theobald 22 Nahe Hochstätten
19. 1967/1968 Ruth Collet, later Kutz Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Reil
20. 1968/1969 Brigitte Wolf 21 Franconia Veitshöchheim
21. 1969/1970 Marika Gebhardt 19 Rheingau Martinsthal
22. 1970/1971 Erika Sinß 18 Nahe Windesheim
23. 1971/1972 Ruth Kröther 20 Palatinate Freinsheim
24. 1972/1973 Ulrike Seyffardt, later Neradt 1951 Rheingau Martinsthal
25. 1973/1974 Ingrid Kurth 21 Ahr Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
26. 1974/1975 Doris Emmerich 1954 20 Nahe Waldböckelheim
27. 1975/1976 Edelgard Bauer 1955 20 Nahe Kirschroth
28. 1976/1977 Friedlinde Gurr, later Gurr-Hirsch 1954 22 Württemberg Untergruppenbach
29. 1977/1978 Gisela Faber Baden Freiburg im Breisgau
30. 1978/1979 Heike Schmitt 19 Rheinhessen Nierstein
31. 1979/1980 Rita Moog, later Moog-Fischer Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Valwig
32. 1980/1981 Regine Usinger, later Usinger-Frank 1958 22 Rheinhessen Nackenheim
33. 1981/1982 Hildegard Weber Palatinate Gönnheim
34. 1982/1983 Karin Molitor, later Molitor-Hartmann 1962 20 Franconia Sommerach
35. 1983/1984 Carola Geiger, later Geiger-Kaiser 1962 21 Württemberg Weinsberg-Grantschen
36. 1984/1985 Ursula Maur Ahr Mayschoß
37. 1985/1986 Mechthild Meyer, later Weis 1962 23 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Waldrach
38. 1986/1987 Helga Drauz, later Drauz-Oertel 1967 19 Württemberg Heilbronn
39. 1987/1988 Jutta Fassian, later Fassian-Emmrich Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Mehring (Moselle)
40. 1988/1989 Petra Mayer 1966 22 Baden Schliengen
41. 1989/1990 Renate Schäfer 1968 21 Franconia Astheim (Volkach)
42. 1990/1991 Birgit Schehl, later Rebholz-Schehl 1969 21 Palatinate Hainfeld (Palatinate)
43. 1991/1992 Lydia Bollig, later Bollig-Strohm 1970 21 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Trittenheim
44. 1992/1993 Astrid Bechtel 1972 20 Rheinhessen Worms-Heppenheim
45. 1993/1994 Sandra Hake, later Frölich 1970 23 Saale-Unstrut Freyburg (Unstrut)
46. 1994/1995 Ulrike Neymeyer 1968 26 Baden Endingen am Kaiserstuhl
47. 1995/1996 Julia Klöckner 1972 23 Nahe Guldental
48. 1996/1997 Ines Hoffmann 1972 24 Saxony Dresden
49. 1997/1998 Natascha Thoma, later Thoma-Widmann 1971 26 Baden Ebringen
50. 1998/1999 Susanne Völker, later Nett 1974 24 Rheinhessen Oppenheim
51. 1999/2000 Simone Renth, later Renth-Queins 1973 26 Rheinhessen Schwabenheim an der Selz
52. 2000/2001 Carina Dostert, later Curman 1979 21 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Nittel
53. 2001/2002 Petra Gärtner 1980 21 Hessische Bergstraße Zwingenberg (Bergstraße)
54. 2002/2003 Judith Honrath 1980 22 Nahe Langenlonsheim
55. 2003/2004 Nicole Then 1980 23 Franconia Sommerach
56. 2004/2005 Petra Zimmermann 1984 20 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer Temmels
57. 2005/2006 Sylvia Benzinger, later Benzinger-Kugler 1978 27 Palatinate Kirchheim an der Weinstraße
58. 2006/2007 Katja Schweder 1980 26 Palatinate Hochstadt (Palatinate)
59. 2007/2008 Evelyn Schmidt 1983 24 Saxony Radebeul
60. 2008/2009 Marlies Dumbsky 1985 23 Franconia Volkach
61. 2009/2010 Sonja Christ, later Christ-Brendemühl 1984 25 Moselle Oberfell
62. 2010/2011 Mandy Großgarten 1987 22 Ahr Dernau
63. 2011/2012 Annika Strebel 1987 23 Rheinhessen Wintersheim
64. 2012/2013 Julia Bertram 1989 22 Ahr Dernau
65. 2013/2014 Nadine Poss 1991 22 Nahe Windesheim
66. 2014/2015 Janina Huhn 1989 24 Palatinate Bad Dürkheim
67. 2015/2016 Josefine Schlumberger 1994 21 Baden Laufen (Sulzburg)
68. 2016/2017 Lena Endesfelder 1993 23 Moselle Mehring

Frequency of winners by wine region

Wine region Years Number
Ahr 1962, 1973, 1984, 2010, 2012 5
Baden 1952, 1977, 1988, 1994, 1997 5
Franconia 1957, 1958, 1964, 1968, 1982, 1989, 2003, 2008 8
Hessische Bergstraße 2001 1
Middle Rhine 1951 1
Moselle (until 2005 Moselle-Saar-Ruwer) 1950, 1956, 1963, 1967, 1979, 1985, 1987, 1991, 2000, 2004, 2009 11
Nahe 1953, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1995, 2002, 2013 8
Palatinate 1949, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1971, 1981, 1990, 2005, 2006 9
Rheingau 1959, 1969, 1972 3
Rheinhessen 1954, 1961, 1978, 1980, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2011 8
Saale-Unstrut (participating since 1990) 1993 1
Saxony (participating since 1990) 1996, 2007 2
Württemberg 1976, 1983, 1986 3

[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Neustadt bleibt weiter Krönungsstätte" (in German), Die Rheinpfalz (Ludwigshafen,), 2009-05-19
  2. 1 2 "Einwurf: Werbewirksam" (in German), Die Rheinpfalz (Ludwigshafen,), 2009-05-19
  3. ↑ "Finale in Mainz: Lena Endesfelder - Weinkönig von der Mosel – Startseite – Weinkönigin". swr.de (in German). 2016-09-30.
  4. 1 2 pfaelzische-weinkoenigin.de. "Historisches". Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  5. ↑ Die Deutsche Weinkönigin at vinothek.wordpress.com. Retrieved 21 Oct 2013
  6. 1 2 Gisela Kirschstein (2008-10-12), "Wein und Wissen" (in German), Die Welt (Berlin,) accessed on 25 Sep 2012.
  7. ↑ Deutsches Weininstitut. "Veranstaltungskalender". Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  8. ↑ Gute Chancen für Württembergerin at www.stimme.de. Accessed on 8 Oct 2013
  9. 1 2 Germany's 61st Wine Queen is Crowned at www.germanwineusa.com. Accessed on 8 Oct 2013
  10. ↑ Die Weinhoheiten at www.wein-kunde.de. Retrieved 21 Oct 2013
  11. 1 2 Deutsche Weinköniginnen seit 1949 at www.die-weinkiste.com. Accessed on 29 Sep 2013.

Literature

Über Herbstbräuche in der Palatinate und einigen Nachbarregionen, Wiesbaden: Gesellschaft für Geschichte des Weines  ISSN 0302-0967
50 Jahre Deutsche Weinköniginnen 1949–1998, Ingelheim: projekt büro, ISBN 3-9805502-1-4 
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