Our pagent winners talk world peace... I got to spend a day with local royalty who talks grapes, soil, and fermentation.
Queen Britta I rules the small kingdom of Zell. Situated on the river Mosel with many small fiefdoms that grow acres and acres of grapes. She was able to tell me everything I ever wanted to know. Why the soil is better for sweet white Reisling grapes, how the fermentation process works (be careful not to stay in the cellar with the noxious gases too long), and the legend of the black cat. All Zell wine bottles and even the town fountain features this cat.
Apparently over a century ago, there were three merchants from Aachen (why always in threes?) looking to sample the best wine from the region. They tasted wine after wine. All were good, but nothing really stood out as phenomenal. Finally there were just three casks left. (Again with those threes!) They were tired and had to head back to Aachen and wanted to bring at least one cask to try. But how to determine, and would it be any better than the rest? Just as they went to move one of the last casks, a black cat jumped on it and hissed and hissed, trying to keep the merchants away. Immediately, they knew it must be something special, so they fought the cat off and took that cask with them. When they got back to Aachen and tasted it, sure enough, it was the most fantastic wine they had ever tried, a special Zell Reisling. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Now imagine hearing that tale from an 18 year old German teen, who can tell it in German, English and French. A very sweet energetic blonde, whose family has made wine for two generations. They face massive competition from their neighbors and from wine growers in villages throughout the Mosel region, not to mention the rest of the world. They have to find sellers, etc. So when Britta became wine queen (a process that involves knowing answers to some of the most obscure to the most mundane wine question- does sweet wine get you more drunk? No. But you might drink more of it more quickly because it is so sweet, etc., as well as going to over 80 events per year, while trying to finish high school), the family began producing bottles with her pictures on it.
But before you think I might sound cynical, becoming wine queen has been Britta’s dream since she was a little girl. She used to follow the local queens around and collect their cards (more on that later) and even wrote to the national German wine queen to get her advice on how to someday become a queen, too. Well, she won the local crown, which is kind of an art deco tiara that she’ll have to give back at the end of her reign. The only other things she gets with that crown is an orange gown and a special wine tasting glass that she brings with her to all of her events. She pays for her own transformation from teen to queen... hair, makeup, and the carriage that brings her to different villages- namely her parents in their small car. This is especially stressful while her parents are supervising the harvest work and cooking for the workers. But they are all cheery. Queen Britta can’t drive if she’s had wine, and they can’t have a wine queen who doesn’t prost and drink with the guests- they’ll think the wine is not so good.
She gives up a lot to be queen... especially nights and weekends. I’m impressed how well she deals with the public, especially the drunken older men. She is always sweet and appropriate and handles them with aplomb... even when waltzing with someone less than steady on his feet.
The funny thing is those polkas and waltzes under the big tent remind me a lot of my extended family’s weddings. Minus the Federweißer and zweibel kuche, which I must say make for a very gassy combination. Queen Britta says she has to be mightily careful. The zweibel kuche or onion cake is like an oniony, potatoey, warm quiche minus the egg and the federweißer is still fermenting, sweet, bubbly wine with a sour twinge. Both were to be had in large quantities. The Mühl family took me in for the day, to the cellars, to the hairdresser, in the home and then on to the fest. I must say it was lovely. Even though I had to hide every last federweißer and zweibel kuche burp.
If anybody knows a wineseller looking for some good sweet German wine, I have to admit, the Mühl’s has been the best I’ve tried. I’m easily bought... they also gave me two bottles with Britta’s face on the label to take home with me. They heartily invited me back and to bring my family. I just hope Britta wins the Queenship of the whole Mosel, then she can run to be Germany’s national wine queen. I like being the friend of Royalty.
For a link to the story and hear Britta in her own words: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3721814,00.html
Queen Britta I rules the small kingdom of Zell. Situated on the river Mosel with many small fiefdoms that grow acres and acres of grapes. She was able to tell me everything I ever wanted to know. Why the soil is better for sweet white Reisling grapes, how the fermentation process works (be careful not to stay in the cellar with the noxious gases too long), and the legend of the black cat. All Zell wine bottles and even the town fountain features this cat.
Apparently over a century ago, there were three merchants from Aachen (why always in threes?) looking to sample the best wine from the region. They tasted wine after wine. All were good, but nothing really stood out as phenomenal. Finally there were just three casks left. (Again with those threes!) They were tired and had to head back to Aachen and wanted to bring at least one cask to try. But how to determine, and would it be any better than the rest? Just as they went to move one of the last casks, a black cat jumped on it and hissed and hissed, trying to keep the merchants away. Immediately, they knew it must be something special, so they fought the cat off and took that cask with them. When they got back to Aachen and tasted it, sure enough, it was the most fantastic wine they had ever tried, a special Zell Reisling. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Now imagine hearing that tale from an 18 year old German teen, who can tell it in German, English and French. A very sweet energetic blonde, whose family has made wine for two generations. They face massive competition from their neighbors and from wine growers in villages throughout the Mosel region, not to mention the rest of the world. They have to find sellers, etc. So when Britta became wine queen (a process that involves knowing answers to some of the most obscure to the most mundane wine question- does sweet wine get you more drunk? No. But you might drink more of it more quickly because it is so sweet, etc., as well as going to over 80 events per year, while trying to finish high school), the family began producing bottles with her pictures on it.
But before you think I might sound cynical, becoming wine queen has been Britta’s dream since she was a little girl. She used to follow the local queens around and collect their cards (more on that later) and even wrote to the national German wine queen to get her advice on how to someday become a queen, too. Well, she won the local crown, which is kind of an art deco tiara that she’ll have to give back at the end of her reign. The only other things she gets with that crown is an orange gown and a special wine tasting glass that she brings with her to all of her events. She pays for her own transformation from teen to queen... hair, makeup, and the carriage that brings her to different villages- namely her parents in their small car. This is especially stressful while her parents are supervising the harvest work and cooking for the workers. But they are all cheery. Queen Britta can’t drive if she’s had wine, and they can’t have a wine queen who doesn’t prost and drink with the guests- they’ll think the wine is not so good.
She gives up a lot to be queen... especially nights and weekends. I’m impressed how well she deals with the public, especially the drunken older men. She is always sweet and appropriate and handles them with aplomb... even when waltzing with someone less than steady on his feet.
The funny thing is those polkas and waltzes under the big tent remind me a lot of my extended family’s weddings. Minus the Federweißer and zweibel kuche, which I must say make for a very gassy combination. Queen Britta says she has to be mightily careful. The zweibel kuche or onion cake is like an oniony, potatoey, warm quiche minus the egg and the federweißer is still fermenting, sweet, bubbly wine with a sour twinge. Both were to be had in large quantities. The Mühl family took me in for the day, to the cellars, to the hairdresser, in the home and then on to the fest. I must say it was lovely. Even though I had to hide every last federweißer and zweibel kuche burp.
If anybody knows a wineseller looking for some good sweet German wine, I have to admit, the Mühl’s has been the best I’ve tried. I’m easily bought... they also gave me two bottles with Britta’s face on the label to take home with me. They heartily invited me back and to bring my family. I just hope Britta wins the Queenship of the whole Mosel, then she can run to be Germany’s national wine queen. I like being the friend of Royalty.
For a link to the story and hear Britta in her own words: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3721814,00.html
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