German Wine Queen

Annika Strebel of Rheinhessen is the 63rd German Wine Queen.

The new wine queen was overwhelmed. "I cannot believe it," said Annika Strebel. The 23-year-old student from a small wine town in Rheinhessen is the 63rd German wine queen. This is the first time since 1999 that a German wine queen is from Germany's largest wine growing region.

A 80-member jury from politics, media and the wine industry chose the young Rheinhessin on September 30 in Neustadt on the Wine Route to be the highest representative of German wine.

"This is a great day for the Rhineland-Palatinate wine," said Annika Strebel. The 23-year old already knew as a little girl that she wanted to become a winemaker. She is currently studying at the renowned wine-growing college Geisenheim. For pleasure, she likes to collect wild herbs for the kitchen and grow her own pumpkins. In the next year, Annika will represent the German wine industry at home and abroad.

She is assisted by two wine princesses, Ramona Storm and Elisabeth Born. The 22-year-old Ramona Storm comes from Moselkern and studied mathematics and economics education. The daughter of a winemaker, Storm, among others, had to explain why the year 2011 was good and why the terms on wine labels are particularly important in the preliminary round. In the final, she talked with passion and enthusiasm about representing German wine in the world beyond.

The 26-year-old Elizabeth Born charmed the judges with her natural charm. The 26-year-old has been studying and working in the vineyard with her parents in Höhnstedt. Her grandfather had the first vineyard, where they grow very innovative Sauvignon Blanc. Her experiences also include wine in New Zealand and South Africa - the combination of charm and experience makes Elizabeth a perfect German Wine Princess.

The decision of the jury was actually as difficult as ever: six young ladies had been in the hall of Neustadt on the Wine Route facing the critical eyes of the jury and an audience of millions on their TVs.

The election of the German Wine Queen occurs each year, beginning with the selection of the regional wine queens of the thirteen German wine-growing regions. The young ladies, aged between 21 and 26 years, had to prove extensive specialized knowledge of viticulture and wine marketing. Annika Strebel since proved that difficult technical issues such as Blanc de Noir can be explained naturally and professionally.

On the evening of September 30, the likeable blonde with the long braid shone above all with her charm, spontaneity and naturalness. They were impressed by her detection of the flavors of a 2007 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, including honey, ripe peach and pineapple. When presenting technical terms of wine on an open stage, Annika had wild enthusiasm: her description of the sex pheromone of the grape was so convincing that the hall was enraptured.

"I have a little resemblance to the Loreley," Strebel said, referencing her fictional speech to delegates in Middle Rhine. She would "tell no tales and sink a ship, but with charm and passion, bring the German wine ahead." When she finally said, "Choose me today to be your German Wine Queen", the jury could not agree more.

DWI-director Monika Reule then announced the result to a tense Hall: The 63rd German Wine Queen is Annika Strebel, making it the eighth German Majesty Queen wine from Rheinhessen.