Five Candidates Reach Finals

Anna Antonia Cölsch (Pflaz/alatinate), Lena Roie (Rheingau), Kathrin Knierim (Rheinhessen), Paula Löber (Saale-Unstrut), and Natalie Schäfter (Württemberg) will take the stage for their big moment during the decisive round of voting this coming Friday at the Neustadt Saalbau.

Amidst thunderous applause from the audience, the finalists accepted congratulations from Melanie Broyé-Engelkes, Managing Director of the German Wine Institute (DWI). "With their impressive performances, the candidates certainly didn't make things easy for the jury! One thing is already certain following the selection of this highly qualified quintet today: we can look forward to an extremely exciting, high-caliber competition next week," the DWI chief declared.

Strong professional expertise and a compelling personal presence

All candidates performed with great poise when answering the jury's challenging questions on viticulture, cellar management, and marketing. The questions—submitted in advance—were posed on behalf of the panel by a "master jury" comprising Liora Levi (former President of the Norwegian Sommelier Association), Gerhard Retter (sommelier and nationally renowned wine expert), and Bettina Siée (Editor-in-Chief of the trade journal *Das Deutsche Weinmagazin*).

Broad range of topics

The range of technical questions spanned topics from the pros and cons of minimal pruning and the importance of wine tourism to the factors that contribute most significantly to the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine. Furthermore, the candidates were required to take a position on current industry issues, such as the use of drones in steep-slope vineyards or methods for the targeted management of water levels in the vineyard.

For the English-language questions, participants had to demonstrate linguistic proficiency while explaining topics such as organic wine production or why Germany is considered a "Pinot Paradise." Team Spirit Required During the preliminary round hosted by SWR presenter Holger Wienpahl, the on-stage group tasks called for both team spirit and wine expertise—specifically in identifying grape varieties during blind tastings. Based on the groups' descriptions, the livestream audience could interactively submit their guesses regarding which grape varieties were being tasted.