Wine Majesties have a long tradition in Germany. Basically all wine villages, wine regions and the country as a whole have wine queens and wine princesses. Of course, the crème de la crème are the national wine majesties, the German Wine Queen and the two German Wine Princesses.
One of the two reigning German Wine Princesses, Sabine Wagner, came to the US for an East Coast Tour (Northern Virginia, Philadelphia and Washington DC) with a series of events between June 25 and June 30, 2014. The trip was organized by Annette Schiller (Ombiasy PR and WineTours) and supported by the German Wine Institute (Mainz, Germany) and the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter).
German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner
Sabine Wagner: “I am currently a student at the Geisenheim University, studying for 3 years International Wine Business. In September 2013, I became one of two German Wine Princesses for a period of 12 months. In that position, I am an ambassador for German wine and winemakers, in Germany and all over the world, sponsored by the German Wine Institute.”
Sabine Wagner was born and grew up in Hochheim, the famous wine village in the eastern part of the Rheingau. Unusually, her parents are not winemakers; often, wine queens and wine princess came from a winemaking family. In 2009, Sabine was elected Wine Princess of Hochheim. From there on, the way was only upwards: Sabine became Wine Queen of Hochheim in 2011; (regional) Wine Queen of the Rheingau in 2012; and (national) Wine Princess of Germany in 2013.
Looking back, in 1931, the first German wine region, the Pfalz, crowned its own wine queen. Because the Palatine Wine Queen was Germany's only wine queen, she automatically represented the German wine industry in general as well as the Palatine wine region until 1939, and then again, from 1947 until 1949.
Since 1950, the German Wine Queen has been elected in a separate competition. Basically all German wine villages have their (local) wine queen and wine princesses. From these local majesties, all German wine regions select their (regional) wine majesties. From the regional wine queens, the German Wine Queen and the two German Wine Princesses are chosen. Until 1999, it was a condition that the candidates had to be single - they could be neither married nor divorced - and had to come from a family of winemakers. Since 2000, the candidates only have to have "clear and strong ties with German wines." Selection is no longer based so much on good looks and dancing skills today; more important, in addition to a knowledge of oenology and winemaking technology, quick wit and eloquence are required. During their one-year term of office, the Wine Queen and Wine Princesses advertise German wine at trade fairs, wine festivals and other events. The Wine Queen competition is arranged by the German Wine Institute (DWI) in Mainz.
Annette Schiller's Impressions
Dear All, this past week was a fabulous week for German wine. Many of you participated in one or several of the events with Sabine Wagner, the reigning German wine princess. Sent by the German Wine Institute as ambassador for German wine she was here to promote German wine. Ombiasy PR, WineEvents & WineTours organized tastings, wine pairing dinners, classes, and a BYOW party at our house. I think we all learned a lot from Sabine’s presentations on German wine in general, on the new classification for German wine, and on the rigorous knowledge competition throughout several years to become the National Ambassador for German wine. Sabine showed us wines from entry level to ultra-premium level, and from bone dry to sweet. It was a showcase of what serious German winemakers are capable of producing.
Slowly, but surely, German wine works its way up from the back burner to the front burner. This was evident in the choices people brought to the BYOW party. The topic was Riesling. Last year 80% of the people brought Rieslings from other regions than Germany. The majority of the German Rieslings were dry. This year, it was just the other way around: 80% of our guests brought German Rieslings and the majority of those wines were dry.
The year 2014 will be a very interesting one for German wine. The budding period was extremely early due to the exceptional warm weather in early spring. We can expect a very good vintage if the weather will continue to be as cooperative throughout the rest of the ripening period. Harvest will take place 2 - 3 weeks earlier than usual and the wine tours to German wine country I organize for the fall will very likely hit harvest time. That will be an extraordinary experience for the guests on my tours. Usually winemakers don’t like to be bothered during harvest. Full attention has to be paid to the correct picking, crushing, getting the juice into the tanks or barrels, and the wine estates look pretty much like a very busy zoo. Because all winemakers/owners of the wineries we are going to visit are personal friends, we are allowed to tour their wineries, and to taste the wines.
This year I am doing two tours. You find every little detail on the tours on my webpage.
QUINTESSENTIAL GERMAN WHITES September 4 - September 13, info at: https://ombiasypr.com/index.php/tours/germany-north-2014
THE SUN-KISSED GERMAN SOUTH September 14 - September 20, info at: https://ombiasypr.com/index.php/tours/germany-south-2014
There are a few slots available. Please make your decision asap since hotel reservations, which are always the bottleneck, need to be confirmed.
Enjoy the perfect summer wine: Riesling! A good read is the column by Dave McIntyre in the food section of the Washington post. In today’s Post is the 2. part of Dave’s column on Riesling. Last week’s Wednesday edition had the 1. part.
Looking forward to having you on my tours (and of course I will arrange an event with Sabine)!
Best
Annette
Events in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Philadelphia
During her US East Coast tour, Wine Princess Sabine Wagner led 6 tastings. I will report in detail about the events in separate postings (see below). This posting provides an overview.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Restaurant 2941, 2941 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042
Wining and Dining with a Princess: Wine Pairing Dinner with Chef Bertrand Chemel and the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner
We started out with a fantastic wine pairing dinner at one of the best restaurants in the Washington DC area, Restaurant 2941. We were a group of about 30 German wine lovers.We only had dry wines.
Restaurant 2941: 2941 is one of the most celebrated restaurants in the metropolitan area. The restaurant is nestled in the heart of Falls Church, VA, surrounded by lush landscaping, koi ponds, waterfalls, world-class artwork, and a lakeside view. Named by Washingtonian Magazine in 2014 as a 100 Very Best Restaurant.
Thursday, June 26, 2014 7:30 pm
German Wine Society, Philadelphia
Cafe Aldo Lambert, 2011 Marlton Pike West, Cherry Hill, NJ
German Wine Tasting with the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner
Then we moved up to Philadelphia for a seated tasting at the German Wine Society (Philadelphia Chapter). The tasting was held at award winning Caffe Aldo Lamberti in Cherry Hill, NJ, recently honored by the Wine Spectator for the wine selection. The event was attended by about 30 German wine experts.
Friday, June 27, 2014 7:30 pm
German Wine Society, Washington DC
500, N ST NW, Harbor Square Room, Washington DC 20024
German Wine Tasting with the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner
The next day, German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner led a tasting at the Washington DC Chapter of the German Wine Society. We had wines that recently arrived in the US, but also older vintages from the Chapter’s wine cellar, a sparkler, a red wine and dry, fruity-sweet and noble-sweet Rieslings. The event was attended by about 30 German wine experts.
Saturday, June 28, 2014 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
MacArthur Beverages, 4877 Mac Arthur Blvd., NW, Washington DC 20007
Saturday began with a store tasting at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC. German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner and MacArthur Beverages German Wine Guru Phil Bernstein poured a selection of the German wines available at MacArthur Beverages, which has one of the best, is not the best portfolio of German wines in the whole country.
Saturday, June 28, 2014, 6:30 pm
At the Schiller Residence
Riesling Party
The day ended with a Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, VA. Each guest had to bring one bottle of Riesling, sweet or dry, New World or Old World. We were 70 Riesling lovers and tasted 70 Rieslings from all around the world, although Germany dominated the tasting.
Monday, June 30, 2014, 6:30pm
Evo Bistro, 1313 Old Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22101
A German Riesling Pairing Event. A Royal Wine Visit from Princess Sabine Wagner
Sabine’s US trip ended with a wine pairing dinner at our “down the road bistro” Evo Bistro in McLean, with wines from Weingut Clemens Busch, Weingut Robert Weil and Weingut Dr. Loosen, which Chef Ticara Smith paired with German, Mexican and Thai food. We were a group of 20 German wine lovers.
Thanks
Thank you very much, Wine Princess Sabine Wagner, for a series of wonderful events.
Postings on schiller-wine about the US East Coast Tour of German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner
This posting is part of a series of postings covering the US East Coast tour of German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner.
German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner on a US East Coast Tour, US/Germany
Wining and Dining with a Princess: German Wine Pairing Dinner with the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner at Restaurant 2941 in Northern Virginia, US
German Wine Tastings with the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner at the German Wine Society (Philadelphia Chapter)
German Wine Tastings with the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter)
The German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC
Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in Northern Virginia with the German Wine Princess Sabine Wagner
A German Riesling Pairing Event at Evo Bistro in McLean, Virginia - A Royal Wine Visit from Princess Sabine Wagner
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