Overview

• Four women and one man advanced to Friday’s final in Neustadt, with finalists Levin McKenzie, Emma Meinhardt, Anna Zenz, Katja Simon and Lucia Winterhalter.
• The competition now runs under the gender-neutral title Wahl der Deutschen Weinmajestät.
• If a woman wins, she will be named Weinkönigin, and if a man wins, he will hold the inaugural title Deutscher Weinkönig.
• Fashion designer Harald Glööckler called the inclusion of men overdue and said participation should be open regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
• Glööckler rejected proposals to replace crowned titles with regional wine ambassadors without a coronation, arguing a crowning carries greater public impact.