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The traditional election of the German Wine Queen is set for major changes after nearly 80 years.
The German Wine Institute, based in Bodenheim in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, confirmed that the annual contest will now be known as the Election of the Wine Monarch, reflecting a key shift: men can now compete.
For the first time, on September 26, two male candidates will participate in the competition in Neustadt, a town in southwest Germany nestled in one of the country’s celebrated wine-growing regions.
Should a man win, he will hold the historic title of German Wine King and receive a chain of office instead of the traditional crown.

Since 1949, the German Wine Queen has served as an ambassador for the country’s wine industry. The competition sees representatives from Germany’s 13 wine-growing regions go head-to-head in a final held in the Palatinate region.
This includes recognising grape varieties in a blind tasting and showing wine expertise.
The winner represents Germany’s 14,000 winegrowers for a year.

The current German Wine Queen is 25-year-old Charlotte Weihl from the Palatinate region, the 76th to hold the title. This year’s male contenders are Levin McKenzie from Rhine Hesse, and Felix Grün from Middle Rhine.
The winner will be chosen through a combination of jury and public vote.


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Charlotte Weihl, the current German Wine Queen. Photo: Instagram/_charlottewe_

The German Wine Queen  contest has only crowned women since it began nearly 80 years ago. But this year’s contest - renamed the Election of the Wine Monarch - is open to men. Photo: Shutterstock

Since 1949, the German Wine Queen has been chosen from representatives of Germany’s 13 wine-growing regions. Photo: Shutterstock

The current German Wine Queen, Charlotte Weihl, from the Palatinate region, is the 76th to hold the title. Photo: Instagram/_charlottewe_

Praised by Homer in ancient Greece, can the world’s oldest recorded wine make a comeback?

Bottles of Commandaria wine at the Karsera Winery in Dhoros, Cyprus. Photo: AP

Commandaria wine at a museum dedicated to the tipple in Zoopigi, Cyprus. A favourite of ancient Greek writer Homer nearly 3,000 years ago, the wine is no longer widely known around the world. Photo: AP

Bottles of Commandaria wine on a table at the Karsera Winery in the village of Dhoros, in Cyprus. The wine is said to have been served to royalty for centuries. Photo: AP

Zoopigi village community leader Christakis Nikolaou prunes a vine in his vineyard. Photo: AP

A vineyard outside Agios Mamas in Cyprus’ Commandaria wine region. The village is one of only 14 to produce the wine. Photo: AP

Commandaria wine bottles on a rack at Revecca Winery in Agios Mamas, Cyprus. Its wine won the top prize at the national wine competition in 2024. Photo: AP

A worker draws Commandaria wine from a barrel at Revecca Winery in Agios Mamas, Cyprus. Photo: AP

Philippos Karseras, manager of the Karsera Winery in Cyprus, is encouraged by an upswing in domestic consumption of Commandaria. Photo: AP

Bubble tea brand makes Hong Kong milk tea ‘fashionable again’ by mixing style and tradition

A tea drink being made at Silk in Kennedy Town. Photo: Sun Yeung

Silk’s new Kennedy Town branch mixes tradition and modern flair. The brand is the only one to make boba tea with Hong Kong-style milk tea. Photo: Sun Yeung

Many of Silk’s menu items are interpretations of Hong Kong dishes and drinks. Photo: Silk

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Old-school memorabilia on the shelves at Silk’s new store. Photo: Silk

Silk founders Adrian Ngan (left) and Tim Tsung at the Kennedy Town branch. Photo: Sun Yeung

A staff member makes a drink using evaporated milk – a common ingredient at traditional Hong Kong cafes – at Silk’s new branch in Kennedy Town. Photo: Sun Yeung

Silk’s Smooth Sesame drink is inspired by black sesame soup, a beloved dessert in Hong Kong. Photo: Silk

Silk’s Yuen-Yeung is inspired by the milk tea and coffee drink of the same name that is popular in traditional Hong Kong cafes. Photo: Sun Yeung

Ngan and Tsung are on a mission to make Hong Kong-style milk tea popular with young people. Photo: Sun Yeung

Silk’s Smooth Lemon is a bubble tea version of Hong Kong lemon tea. Photo: Sun Yeung

The places tap water tastes so good you don’t need to buy the polluting bottled kind

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The Geiranger Fjord is a Unesco World Heritage site in Norway. The country is one of several described by Reddit users as having the tastiest tap water in Europe. 

The story of Japan’s Hatcho miso, from battle rations for samurais to hotel cocktails

A Hatcho miso martini at the Hilton Nagoya. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Workers at Kakukyu Hatcho Miso’s production plant in Nagoya, Japan, stacking rocks on casks of fermenting miso. Each cask lid is weighed down with three tonnes of rocks. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

A pack of Kakukyu Hatcho miso. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Casks of fermenting Hatcho miso. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

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Teppanyaki abalone with Hatcho miso sauce. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

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World

Europe

Since 1949, only women have been allowed to compete in an annual contest that crowns ambassadors for Germany’s wine industry. Not any more


Since 1949, only women have been allowed to compete in an annual contest that crowns ambassadors for Germany’s wine industry. Not any more.


Gender

Germany

Offbeat