Election of the German Wine Queen: Five finalists have made it to the final

Charlotte Weihl from PFALZ, Julia Lambrich from MITTELRHEIN, Katharina Gräff from NAHE, Marie-Sophie Schwarz from MOSEL and Annalena Baum from RHEINHESSEN (from left to right) will be competing for the highest German wine crown on 27 September on the stage of the Saalbau in Neustadt/Weinstraße.

Specialist questions mastered brilliantly

In the preliminary round, which is organised annually by the German Wine Institute (DWI), the candidates had to answer challenging questions about winemaking, wine marketing and the handling of wine competently and competently in German and English.

From traditional bottling to climate change

The specialist questions covered topics such as the cultivation of new grape varieties, the production of dealcoholised wine and traditional bottling. In addition, the candidates positioned themselves on adaptation strategies for German viticulture in times of climate change and explained in fluent English what the Riesling generation stands for or what international guests need to know about Pinot Noir from the German wine-growing regions.

The expert questions were asked by the three master judges Yvonne Heistermann, President of the German Sommelier Union, Robert Joseph, Editor-in-Chief of Meininger's International and Markus del Monego, Master of Wine and first German Sommelier World Champion. „All the candidates have performed at a high professional level. With such great experts, German wine can look to the future with optimism,

she concluded.

Strong as a team

The experts also demonstrated their strengths as a team when they had to describe a wine with as many typical characteristics as possible in groups of three.

Through refreshing interludes and game elements as well as an extended stage presentation, the candidates had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the jury and the audience not only as experts, but also very personally. SWR presenter Holger Wienpahl was at the candidates' side during all their appearances with his usual confidence.

Livestream viewers actively involved

This year, the livestream viewers were actively involved in the programme throughout the entire event via games and digital voting options.

Suspense right to the end

At the end of the show, all the contestants stood on the stage tensely and hand in hand after their performance to await the judgement of the 70-strong jury, who had followed the performances online. The names of the five finalists with the most jury votes were announced by DWI Head of Marketing Steffen Schinder to the enthusiastic cheers of the fans. „The candidates did not make it easy for the jury. The high level of professional qualification of the finalists was sensational and means we can expect an exciting outcome to the election," summarised Steffen Schindler.

Election final on 27 September live on TV and online

Who the reigning German Wine Queen Eva Brockmann will pass the crown on to will be decided at the final election gala next Friday, which will be broadcast live both online and on SWR television from the Saalbau in Neustadt from 8.15 pm.