Carolin Klöckner, from Vaihingen (near Stuttgart) in the Württemberg region, has been named the 70th German Wine Queen. She is joined in her reign by German Wine Princesses Klara Zehnder from the Franken region and Inga Storck from the Pfalz region.
To the raucous cheers from fans who had traveled for the event, Carolin Klöckner proudly accepted her new crown and congratulations from all sides. The 23 year-old student, majoring in Agrarian Sciences at Hohenheim University, demonstrated deep knowledge and commitment during the preliminary rounds and proved just as adapt and eloquent in the thrilling finale. Her performance won the hearts of the nearly 800 spectators and the minds of the expert jury at the Saalbau in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. As the 70th German Wine Queen, she will now spend a year fulfilling over 200 appointment in Germany and abroad as an ambassador for German wine (Instagram), on behalf of The German Wine Institute (DWI/Wines of Germany).
“Fantastic, everything’s fantastic,” the freshly appointed Wine Queen declared shortly after her win, at a rare loss for words. “It’s so hard to wrap my mind around it,” she declared in disbelief, tears welling in her eyes. She also expressed excitement about the “many journeys [I will take] to as many countries as possible to promote German wine around the world.”
At the gala election ball, which was broadcast live on SWR Fernsehen, Carolin Klöckner triumphed over five fellow competitors, building on the successful appearance a week earlier that had earned her a spot in the finale. Over multiple rounds of competition, the six young wine experts demonstrated their skills in wine sensorics, rhetoric and communications. Their first task: providing commentary on their own introductory clips and working through blind wine tastings. Next came a game-show style quiz that required them to guess the wine preferences and habits of random people off the street.
Princess or queen?
Once the jury whittled the selection down to three finalists, it remained to be seen who would wear which wine crown.
Among other tasks, the contestants were challenged to give a spontaneous speech utilizing wine terms that they weren’t given until they were on stage. Another challenge called for each candidate to hold a one-minute discussion about a personal photo.
Carolin Klöckner radiated charm and a natural calm throughout the day, helping her bring the highest honor of German wine royalty home to the Württemberg region, where Helga Drauz (Heilbronn) wore it 1986/1987.
Klara Zehnder from Franken (Franconia) in Bavaria and Inga Storck from the Pfalz region accepted the princess crowns with “tremendous pride.” “We’re simply thrilled about everything that lies ahead,” they affirmed.
