Temporary monarch
“Indescribable”: Charlotte Weihl new German wine queen
Predecessor Brockmann (r) crowns successor Weihl (l) photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
For the first time since 2014, the Palatinate wine-growing region is again Germany’s wine queen. As her fan base cheers, the industry’s most important ambassador accepts the crown. What does she want to achieve?
The winner fanned herself vigorously with both hands and could hardly believe her victory: Charlotte Weihl from the Palatinate wine-growing region is the 76th German Wine Queen. In an exciting final in Neustadt/Weinstraße (Palatinate), the 25-year-old prevailed against four competitors, also from Rhineland-Palatinate.
“I’m going through a wide variety of emotions right now,” said the overjoyed employee at a winery after the golden confetti shower German press agency. “It will definitely take days or weeks to understand what just happened here.” As wine queen, she now represents around 15,000 winemakers for a year.
As her fan community cheered, the new “First Lady of Vine Juice” received the crown from her predecessor Eva Brockmann from Franconia with a broad smile. In the name of the vine, Weihl now attends numerous appointments abroad. “As a team, we want to make German wine tasty to the world,” emphasized the temporary monarch, waving in all directions. “The feeling is indescribable.” The winner last came from the Palatinate in 2014.
For the first time, all five finalists came from Rhineland-Palatinate. They prevailed in a preliminary round against seven candidates from other wine-growing regions.
The finalists had to, among other things, identify types of wine during a blind tasting and demonstrate their repartee in wine-related games on stage. In front of hundreds of guests in the hall, a jury and the audience then elected Katharina Gräff (24, Nahe) and Julia Lambrich (26, Middle Rhine) as wine princesses. In the fight for the crown, Annalena Baum (25, Rheinhessen) and Marie-Sophie Schwarz (24, Mosel) lost.
For the first time, all finalists from Rhineland-Palatinate
The respective fan base frenetically cheered on their favorite. Some waved name placards, others wore T-shirts with the likeness of their chosen ones. Many flags were waved.
The German Wine Queen has been promoting the industry since 1949. Until 1999, the conditions were that candidates had to be single and come from a winemaking family. There are a total of 13 wine-growing regions in Germany, the largest being Rheinhessen. A man has recently worn the local crown for the first time. He will then be in the federal final in 2025. Around 115 million hectoliters were exported from Germany in 2023. This corresponds to around one eighth of an average wine must harvest of 8.8 million hectoliters.
The previous incumbent, Eva Brockmann, said an emotional farewell in Neustadt. “I will definitely miss the hustle and bustle a bit in the first few days and weeks,” said the 25-year-old. “But tonight it’s finally over. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”
The Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Viticulture congratulated the new wine queen and the two princesses. “This trio of majesties will excellently represent Rhineland-Palatinate’s wine culture and joie de vivre in the world. For Rhineland-Palatinate it was of course a special finale with five candidates from our state,” said Mainz. “The two losing participants can also be proud of their performance in front of a nationwide audience.”