Palatine Wine Queen


The Palatine Wine Queen, sometimes also called the Palatinate Wine Queen, is the annually elected representative of the Palatine wine region, one of currently 13 recognized wine regions in Germany. She is eligible to participate, the following year, in the competition for the German Wine Queen.

History

In 1931 the Palatinate region of Germany nominated a wine queen in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße at the initiative of the publisher, Daniel Meininger, becoming the first of the German wine-growing regions to do so. The first wine queen was Ruth Bachrodt of Pirmasens in the Southwest Palatinate. This part of the Palatinate has no vineyards and Bachrodt owed her election to the fact that the organizers felt she was the prettiest girl in the audience in the festival hall and the judges upheld their proposal. The candidate had previously been asked the question, "What does a wine queen in all circumstances?" Bachrodt had replied, "you definitely need a pair of good shoes, so you can work in the vineyard." With that she also impressed the Pirmasens shoe manufacturer, Daniel Theysohn, and they were married in 1938.
Because the Palatine Wine Queen in Germany was the only wine queen for many years, she also represented German wine as a whole until 1939 and then again from 1947 to 1949 without needing to go through any further competition. In 1949, too, there was only one competition, but subsequently Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies from Diedesfeld officially became the German Wine Queen and was thus the only person to hold the titles of Palatine Wine Queen and German Wine Queen in the same year.

Competition process

The election of the Palatine Wine Queen traditionally takes place during the German Wine Festival, in the Saalbau in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, on the Friday of the first weekend of the festival at the end of September or early October. After her year in office the Palatine Wine Queen, together with the wine queens of the other twelve German wine regions, takes part in the competition to choose the German Wine Queen. In two years, the outgoing Palatine Wine Queen has been chosen as the German Wine Queen:
Sylvia Benzinger in 2005 and Katja Schweder in 2006.

List of Palatine wine queens

The following list shows all Palatine Wine Queens since the competition began in 1931:

  1. 1931/32: Ruth Bachrodt, later Theysohn, Pirmasens
  2. 1932/33: Cilly Seitz, Rhodt
  3. 1933/34: Gertrud Dörr, Wachenheim
  4. 1934/35: Trudel Knauber, Billigheim
  5. 1935/36: Hilde Köhler, Gimmeldingen
  6. 1936/37: Elisabeth Fitz, later Keller, Edenkoben
  7. 1937/38: Gustel Hauptmann, Haardt
  8. 1938/39: Maria Poh, Hambach
  9. 1947/48: Ilse Kurz, Mußbach
  10. 1948/49: Cäcilia Hormuth, St. Martin
  11. 1949/50: Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies, Diedesfeld
  12. 1950/51: Trudel Keller, Bad Dürkheim
  13. 1951/52: Marlies Lack, Bad Dürkheim
  14. 1952/53: Anneliese Bender, Gleisweiler
  15. 1953/54: Ingrid Schreck, later Seyler, Deidesheim
  16. 1954/55: Rosemarie Reibold, Freinsheim
  17. 1955/56: Annemarie Müller, Haardt
  18. 1956/57: Ilse Reinig, later Rodach, Edesheim
  19. 1957/58: Doris Christmann, St. Martin
  20. 1958/59: Renate Poh, Hambach
  21. 1959/60: Christel Koch, Ungstein
  22. 1960/61: Bärbel Christa Härle, Mußbach
  23. 1961/62: Sieglinde Jung, Siebeldingen
  24. 1962/63: Inge Bender, Kallstadt
  25. 1963/64: Waltraud Lohr, Obrigheim
  26. 1964/65: Waltraud Hey, Oberotterbach
  27. 1965/66: Heidi Eberle, Laumersheim
  28. 1966/67: Ulrike Klein, Rhodt
  29. 1967/68: Christa Jung, Siebeldingen
  30. 1968/69: Heidrun Reim, Mußbach
  31. 1969/70: Gretel Stachel, Maikammer
  32. 1970/71: Ruth Kröther, Freinsheim
  33. 1971/72: Melitta Engel, Obrigheim
  34. 1972/73: Helga Weber, Weisenheim am Sand
  35. 1973/74: Siegrid Betz, Wachenheim
  36. 1974/75: Annette Oehl, later Göb, Forst
  37. 1975/76: Maritta Müller, Hambach
  38. 1976/77: Ingrid Grimm, Schweigen
  39. 1977/78: Heidrun Winkelmann, Gimmeldingen
  40. 1978/79: Christa Brauch, Birkweiler
  41. 1979/80: Heike Bohnenstiel, later Voss, Herxheim am Berg
  42. 1980/81: Hildegard Weber, Gönnheim
  43. 1981/82: Gaby Brückmann, Freinsheim
  44. 1982/83: Claudia Hänling, Heuchelheim
  45. 1983/84: Sigrun Stutzmann, Einselthum
  46. 1984/85: Heidrun Wolf, Birkweiler
  47. 1985/86: Maria Bergold, Wachenheim
  48. 1986/87: Ulrike Peter, Bad Dürkheim
  49. 1987/88: Annette Borell, later Borell-Diehl, Hainfeld
  50. 1988/89: Anne Brauner, later Fischer, Göcklingen
  51. 1989/90: Birgit Schehl, later Rebholz-Schehl, Hainfeld
  52. 1990/91: Diane Blaul, later Fehling, Gönnheim
  53. 1991/92: Birgit Weisbrod, later Lorenz, Freinsheim
  54. 1992/93: Christine Schneider, Edenkoben
  55. 1993/94: Claudia Heupel, later Hoffmann, Nußdorf
  56. 1994/95: Silke Gerner, later Wolz, Weisenheim am Sand
  57. 1995/96: Monika Metz, Pleisweiler
  58. 1996/97: Sonja Freund, later Freund-Kuhmann, Bad Dürkheim
  59. 1997/98: Jasmin Müller, Landau
  60. 1998/99: Eva Wendel, Bissersheim
  61. 1999/2000: Birgit Winkler, Steinweiler
  62. 2000/01: Anke Schmitt, Bad Dürkheim
  63. 2001/02: Tanja Schmidt, Deidesheim
  64. 2002/03: Barbara Klein, Hainfeld
  65. 2003/04: Tina Kiefer, Ranschbach
  66. 2004/05: Sylvia Benzinger, later Benzinger-Kugler, Kirchheim
  67. 2005/06: Katja Schweder, Hochstadt
  68. 2006/07: Susanne Winterling, Niederkirchen
  69. 2007/08: Julia Becker, Edesheim
  70. 2008/09: Patricia Frank, Bockenheim
  71. 2009/10: Gabi Klein, Diedesfeld
  72. 2010/11: Karen Storck, Einselthum
  73. 2011/12: Anna Katharina Hochdörffer, Nußdorf
  74. 2012/13: Andrea Römmich, Edenkoben
  75. 2013/14: Janina Huhn, Bad Dürkheim
  76. 2014/15: Laura Julier, Hambach
  77. 2015/16: Julia Kren, Meckenheim
  78. 2016/17: Anastasia Kronauer, Lachen-Speyerdorf
  79. 2017/18: Inga Storck, Einselthum
  80. 2018/19: Meike Klohr, Mußbach
  81. 2019/20: Anna-Maria Löffler, Haßloch

German Wine Queens from the Palatinate

To date the following representatives from the Palatine wine region have been crowned as German Wine Queen:

  1. 1949/50: Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies
  2. 1955/56: Irmgard Mohler
  3. 1960/61: Christel Koch
  4. 1965/66: Waltraud Hey
  5. 1971/72: Ruth Kröther
  6. 1981/82: Hildegard Weber
  7. 1990/91: Birgit Schehl
  8. 2005/06: Sylvia Benzinger
  9. 2006/07: Katja Schweder