# Palatine Wine Queen

The Palatine Wine Queen (German: Pfälzische Weinkönigin), 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 (the Saalbau in Neustadt) 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:
* 1931/32: Ruth Bachrodt, later Theysohn (born 9 Mar 1913; died 5 Mar 1997), Pirmasens
* 1932/33: Cilly Seitz, Rhodt
* 1933/34: Gertrud Dörr, Wachenheim
* 1934/35: Trudel Knauber, Billigheim
* 1935/36: Hilde Köhler, Gimmeldingen
* 1936/37: Elisabeth Fitz, later Keller, Edenkoben
* 1937/38: Gustel Hauptmann, Haardt
* 1938/39: Maria Poh, Hambach
* 1947/48: Ilse Kurz, Mußbach
* 1948/49: Cäcilia Hormuth, St. Martin
* 1949/50: Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies, Diedesfeld
* 1950/51: Trudel Keller, Bad Dürkheim
* 1951/52: Marlies Lack, Bad Dürkheim
* 1952/53: Anneliese Bender, Gleisweiler
* 1953/54: Ingrid Schreck, later Seyler, Deidesheim
* 1954/55: Rosemarie Reibold, Freinsheim
* 1955/56: Annemarie Müller, Haardt
* 1956/57: Ilse Reinig, later Rodach, Edesheim
* 1957/58: Doris Christmann, St. Martin
* 1958/59: Renate Poh, Hambach
* 1959/60: Christel Koch, Ungstein
* 1960/61: Bärbel Christa Härle, Mußbach
* 1961/62: Sieglinde Jung, Siebeldingen
* 1962/63: Inge Bender, Kallstadt
* 1963/64: Waltraud Lohr, Obrigheim
* 1964/65: Waltraud Hey, Oberotterbach
* 1965/66: Heidi Eberle, Laumersheim
* 1966/67: Ulrike Klein, Rhodt
* 1967/68: Christa Jung, Siebeldingen
* 1968/69: Heidrun Reim, Mußbach
* 1969/70: Gretel Stachel, Maikammer
* 1970/71: Ruth Kröther, Freinsheim
* 1971/72: Melitta Engel (born 24 Mar 1952; died 8 Sep 2012), Obrigheim
* 1972/73: Helga Weber, Weisenheim am Sand
* 1973/74: Siegrid Betz, Wachenheim
* 1974/75: Annette Oehl, later Göb, Forst
* 1975/76: Maritta Müller, Hambach
* 1976/77: Ingrid Grimm, Schweigen
* 1977/78: Heidrun Winkelmann, Gimmeldingen
* 1978/79: Christa Brauch, Birkweiler
* 1979/80: Heike Bohnenstiel, later Voss, Herxheim am Berg
* 1980/81: Hildegard Weber, Gönnheim
* 1981/82: Gaby Brückmann, Freinsheim
* 1982/83: Claudia Hänling, Heuchelheim
* 1983/84: Sigrun Stutzmann, Einselthum
* 1984/85: Heidrun Wolf, Birkweiler
* 1985/86: Maria Bergold, Wachenheim
* 1986/87: Ulrike Peter, Bad Dürkheim
* 1987/88: Annette Borell, later Borell-Diehl, Hainfeld
* 1988/89: Anne Brauner, later Fischer, Göcklingen
* 1989/90: Birgit Schehl, later Rebholz-Schehl (born 1969), Hainfeld
* 1990/91: Diane Blaul, later Fehling (born 25. Juli 1973), Gönnheim
* 1991/92: Birgit Weisbrod, later Lorenz, Freinsheim
* 1992/93: Christine Schneider (born 5 Jun 1972), Edenkoben
* 1993/94: Claudia Heupel, later Hoffmann, Nußdorf
* 1994/95: Silke Gerner, later Wolz (born 1972), Weisenheim am Sand
* 1995/96: Monika Metz, Pleisweiler
* 1996/97: Sonja Freund, later Freund-Kuhmann, Bad Dürkheim
* 1997/98: Jasmin Müller, Landau
* 1998/99: Eva Wendel (born 1 Aug 1975), Bissersheim
* 1999/2000: Birgit Winkler, Steinweiler
* 2000/01: Anke Schmitt, Bad Dürkheim
* 2001/02: Tanja Schmidt, Deidesheim
* 2002/03: Barbara Klein (born 28 Dec 1981), Hainfeld
* 2003/04: Tina Kiefer (born 26 Feb 1981), Ranschbach
* 2004/05: Sylvia Benzinger, later Benzinger-Kugler (born 16 Aug 1978), Kirchheim
* 2005/06: Katja Schweder (born 15 Jun 1980), Hochstadt
* 2006/07: Susanne Winterling (born 1 Dec 1986), Niederkirchen
* 2007/08: Julia Becker (born 28 Sep 1982), Edesheim
* 2008/09: Patricia Frank (born 1 Oct 1985), Bockenheim
* 2009/10: Gabi Klein (born 8 Mar 1987), Diedesfeld
* 2010/11: Karen Storck (born 23 Feb 1988), Einselthum
* 2011/12: Anna Katharina Hochdörffer (born 27 Sep 1988), Nußdorf
* 2012/13: Andrea Römmich (born 30 Nov 1988), Edenkoben
* 2013/14: Janina Huhn (* 25 October 1989), Bad Dürkheim
* 2014/15: Laura Julier (* 16 April 1991), Hambach
* 2015/16: Julia Kren, Meckenheim
* 2016/17: Anastasia Kronauer (* 2 May 1992), Lachen-Speyerdorf
* 2017/18: Inga Storck (* 21 July 1994), Einselthum
* 2018/19: Meike Klohr (* 1994), Mußbach
* 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:
* 1949/50: Elisabeth Kuhn, later Gies
* 1955/56: Irmgard Mohler (did not previously hold the title of Palatine Wine Queen)
* 1960/61: Christel Koch
* 1965/66: Waltraud Hey
* 1971/72: Ruth Kröther
* 1981/82: Hildegard Weber
* 1990/91: Birgit Schehl
* 2005/06: Sylvia Benzinger
* 2006/07: Katja Schweder