Germany’s 58th Wine Queen Elected in Dresden on 6 October 2006Katje Schweder from the Pfalz, 6 October 2006 Katje Schweder, from Hochstadt/Pfalz (east of Landau/west of Speyer), was at first speechless when proclaimed German Wine Queen 2006/2007 by Norbert Weber, President of the German Wine Growers’ Association in Bonn. She then realized what had happened and it gave her “an unbelievable feeling.” The election took place in Dresden – in honor of the city’s 800th birthday. Next year, the festive election and coronation celebration will return to its tradtional site in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse/Pfalz, where Katje Schweder will make her first official appearance during the parade on 8 October, the culmination of the annual 10-day German Wine Harvest Fesitval. The 26-year-old daughter of a wine-grower’s family has had ties to German wine since her childhood, but is professionally involved in a rehabilitation center. She is a passionate hobby cook and particularly enjoys culinary wine tastings. This is the second year in a row that the German Wine Queen hails from the Pfalz. Yet it shows that the decision of the jury – 73 professionals from the wine world, including wine professionals (merchants, restaurateurs, producers) and journalists – remains independent of former election results and/or this year’s location in Sachsen. Candidates from the 13 Geman wine-growing regions – all of whom were wine queens of their respective regions – were queried in German and in English on topics ranging from the compatibility of wine and chocolate, to the use of wood chips in winemaking, to tourism and wine...and much more. The competition is quite comtemporary and the outcome is based on both professional knowledge and individual, personal magnetism...it’s not a beauty contest. After all, the German Wine Queen will represent thousands of German wine-growers during appearances throughout the world during the next 12 months. She must be charming and intelligent enough to quickly find answers – professionally correct ¬¬– to tricky questions during press conferences and/or before broadcast cameras. She wiill meet with all kinds of persons, including high-ranking politicians the world over. Wine queen Katje Schweder has a full program ahead. She will be supported by two wine princesses, Barbara Feindel/Mittelrheiin and Sandra Soldmann/Saale-Unstrut. This trio will represent Germany’s wine-growers and their wines during a multi-faceted program of events and presentations at home and abroad during the coming year. Not to be forgotten: efforts are also aimed at attracting younger consumers to consider wine as a beverage of choice. |
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