Frankfurt Riesling Day
It all started in 2011 when I asked a friend who owns a hotel if we'd like to host a party series at his "artist" hotel (Hotel Nizza) featuring only Riesling and DJ music. We're both passionate Riesling lovers, and it felt like the idea was long overdue. We named the party "Rocking Riesling." Fourteen parties followed (three to four per year), each with a different focus on Riesling. We offered a selection of eight to twelve different Rieslings each time, including regional specials featuring Rieslings exclusively from the Nahe, Pfalz, and other wine-growing areas. After the theme had become somewhat exhausted, in 2015 I had the idea to ask wine merchants in Frankfurt if they'd be interested in organizing a joint tasting day dedicated solely to Rieslings. The motto was: away from the evening and into the daytime. And so, the first Frankfurt Riesling Day was born. Six Frankfurt wine merchants joined forces for this project in 2016. Each of them presented around 10 Rieslings. The conclusion of the first day was that Frankfurt can and wants to produce Riesling.
Image: Visitors to Riesling Day in Frankfurt am Main
The following year, I had the idea to ask the wine merchants if they would like to invite a guest winemaker. This happened, and the Riesling Day began to grow. While we had 200 visitors in the first year, we had 300 in the second. Another addition was the idea of awarding a Frankfurt Riesling Prize. Visitors received a ballot at the entrance on which they were to indicate their favorite Riesling. We could then present the winemaker with a certificate featuring their most popular Riesling from the event. We also raffled off prizes—namely, bottles of the winning Riesling—among the ballot winners.
In the third year, the concept of "slow" growth was pursued further. Instead of one guest winemaker, there were now two. I also took the liberty of inviting my own winemakers. The formula was found: wine merchant + guest winemaker + winemaker. As with my Rocking Riesling project, the topic of young winemakers was to play a central role. Through a young winemaker friend, I had learned how difficult it is to take care of everything when taking over the family business and then also do the corresponding marketing. A lot inevitably falls by the wayside. At Riesling Day, however, young winemakers now have the opportunity to promote themselves at a very reasonable price compared to ProWein.
Image: Guests at the wine tasting during Frankfurt Riesling Day
After the third Riesling Day, a major decision had to be made. With around 500 visitors, we faced the problem that, at this size, the event was in danger of bursting at the seams. The question arose whether to scale back and continue organizing a more manageable, "smaller" Riesling Day, or to find a new location to accommodate its gradual growth. I was very undecided, but I found myself in a situation that left me with no other choice. I had asked a friend who runs a restaurant, whose husband manages the Palmengarten event venue, if it would be possible to rent the venue for Riesling Day. They already hosted large VDP events and an annual apple wine fair. She said she would ask her husband, and he would get back to me. However, nothing happened for quite some time, and I had already put the idea out of my mind. It's too big and too expensive anyway, I thought. The phone call did eventually take place, and Mr. Mangold (director of the Palmengarten event venue) was very receptive to the project, indicating that it was feasible and that he would support it. I realized that this was a real opportunity to take the plunge and move the Riesling Day to the opulent Palmengarten event venue. However, I couldn't manage it alone, so I asked my former partner, with whom I had worked in the events industry for many years, if he would join me in this project. He has a very extensive network in the event industry, which could be very helpful for this venture. We decided that, despite the considerable rental costs, we wanted to take the risk, as the previous Riesling Days had shown that the theme definitely resonated with people.
The format remained the same, meaning the wine merchants now invited up to four guest winemakers, and we now had ample space for many more. I therefore contacted Generation Riesling and asked if they would be interested in organizing the event. There was also a link to the Mainz Wine Salon, and the Rheingau Winegrowers' Association offered four spots for their young winemakers (then 50°R, now Fingerprint). In total, we had 34 winemakers on site with over 200 open Rieslings. With extensive advertising, both print and digital, we wanted to be well-prepared for the day at the community center, as we needed to at least double the number of visitors. And despite all the pre-event jitters, we were richly rewarded, as the day was a resounding success at the new location. We had over 1,000 visitors, including many newcomers who had never attended such a wine event before. We hoped to replicate this success the following year. The Riesling Day has arrived at the Gesellschaftshaus (community center) and is in full swing, attracting a diverse and vibrant crowd. Among them are many familiar faces from the Frankfurt wine scene, Riesling enthusiasts, restaurateurs, and also many young people just discovering the world of wine . We were able to reach these people through our extensive network in the party and event sector. This year's 6th Frankfurt Riesling Day is sure to be another varied and enriching celebration of the queen of grapes. 
Image: Award ceremony for the most popular Riesling
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