German man made ‘wine queen’ of Kesten

A 24-year-old German man has been crowned the official “wine queen” of the town of Kesten in the Mosel after no women put themselves forward for the role.

Sven Finke became Germany’s first male “wine queen” last week

As reported by NBC News, law student Sven Finke gallantly stepped up to the plate last Friday and will maintain the title of “Bacchus Castanidi” for a year. Just 350 people live in Kesten and none of its female residents fancied the job of representing its 25 wineries.

“After the present wine queen added a third year to her duties because they couldn’t find a successor, I jokingly said that I would take the wine queen job,” Finke told NBC.

Upon his coronation, Finke donned a white and gold toga, gladiator sandals and a laurel wreath. For over a century, grape-growing villages in southern Germany have appointed local women as “wine queens” to act as ambassadors for their province’s wines.

Potential wine queens must be nominated, and are elected by the community after being quizzed on their wine knowledge. Finke is the first male wine queen in Germany. In 2013 transexual woman Claudia Schmidt assumed the role in Kreuzberg.

Earlier this month 26-year-old Syrian refugee Ninorta Bahno was made the wine queen of Trier.