The winner held her head with both hands and could hardly believe her victory: Paula Löber from the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region in Saxony-Anhalt is the 78th German Wine Queen. In an exciting final in Neustadt/Weinstrasse (Palatinate), the 29-year-old prevailed against four competitors from Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse.
“It’s indescribable,” said the project manager from Magdeburg, overjoyed, to the German Press Agency after the golden confetti shower. «I don't even know what's going on in my head right now, but it's really, really, really happy. It’s amazing what you can achieve.” As wine queen, she will now represent around 14,000 wine-growing businesses across Germany for a year.
“I don’t see it East-West at all”
As her fan community cheered, the new “First Lady of Vine Juice” received the crown from her predecessor, Anna Zenz from the Moselle, with a broad smile. In the name of the vine, Löber now attends numerous appointments abroad.
The winner last came from Saale-Unstrut, Germany's northernmost wine-growing region, in 1993. "I don't see it East-West at all," said the temporary monarch and waved vigorously. “In the end, we are all for German wine.”
The five finalists had prevailed in a preliminary round a week earlier against five candidates and one candidate from other wine-growing regions. The competition has recently also been opened to men.
The competition is now also open to men
Among other things, the finalists had to recognize 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 Kathrin Knierim (27, Rheinhessen) and Natalie Schäfter (25, Württemberg) as wine princesses. In the fight for the crown, Anna Cölsch (21, Palatinate) and Lena Roie (32, Rheingau) lost in the final.
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, it was also a requirement 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. This year's grape harvest has ended in many growing regions - in some cases earlier than ever. Late-ripening varieties such as Riesling are currently being harvested in some regions.
How the wine industry is doing
The German Wine Institute announced on the occasion of the election that winemakers were very satisfied with the qualities of the 2026 vintage. “Thanks to the dry weather, which lasted until late autumn in many parts of the country, very healthy and highly ripe grapes were harvested across the country. This means we can expect very aromatic white wines and concentrated red wines.”
But: Because the grapes are smaller than usual due to the drought, the yields are likely to be below average, a spokesman for the Wine Institute told the German Press Agency. “This also applies to most European wine nations.”
In view of falling sales figures, Prime Minister Gordon Schnieder (CDU) of the final host Rhineland-Palatinate promoted German wine. “Wine is a high level of craftsmanship - and a special food,” he said.
