New Chain of Office: Gender equality for Germany's wine majesties

This could already be the case this year, after two male candidates will participate in the German Wine Queen's election in September for the first time ever. They will represent the Rheinhessen and Middle Rhine wine-growing regions for the first time as wine kings.

Insignia with symbolic power

"We at DWI opened the office to male candidates two years ago and warmly welcome these two gentlemen to the election," said DWI Managing Director Melanie Broyé-Engelkes during the presentation. In her view, the chains of office already have great symbolic significance, even if it has not yet been determined when they will be worn for the first time.

Gender is secondary

German Wine Queen Charlotte Weil emphasized that her office depends on expertise, personality, and rhetoric. Gender

Popular sign of Regency

The DWI chose a chain of office as the insignia for a German Wine King or Wine Prince because it is also worn by mayors, for example, and exudes dignity. Furthermore, a chain of office attracts attention when entering a room. "The crown of the German Wine Queen and the German Wine Princesses is primarily a symbol of recognition and a good opportunity to start a conversation at an event," explained the DWI director.

Inspired by the Crown

The handcrafted design of the necklaces was carefully crafted to create a modern and lightweight design that interprets the formal language of the German Wine Queen's crown. Seven green tourmalines and six red garnets represent the 13 German wine-growing regions in the royal necklace, as well as the domestic white and red wines. The 500-gram necklaces consist of 17 individual elements connected by eyelets. The grape element at the top of the necklace is modeled after the DWI grape logo.

Election on September 20 and 26

Whether the male candidates will be eligible for office in this year's German Wine Queen election will be determined by the jury during the preliminary round on September 20. They will then select the five candidates who will compete for the office of German Wine Queen in front of the cameras on September 26 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. If one or both of the male candidates reach the final and are ultimately elected to office, the chains of office would be used for the first time.