An Interview with Annika Strebel, Germany's Wine Queen

At a young age of 23, Annika Strebel is Germany's current Wine. Tasked with sharing their wine to the world, she makes a stop over in Singapore to let us know more about her passion--wine. OpenRice.com was lucky enough to score an interview with her!

What does it mean to be called the German Wine Queen? First and foremost it is a great honor to be the German wine queen and have the privilege of representing the country for its excellence in wine. I have about 200 engagements a year that are all over the world. I present our German wines in many countries at fairs or tastings. Most of my engagements are in Germany and I represent all the German winemakers and their wonderful wines. All of my duties give me a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and experience their common love for wine. On a personal level, this enables me to become a broad-minded person and sharpen my communication skills. How did you become exposed to wine at such a young age? My parents own a winery in Wintersheim, which is a typical wine town, with many vineyards, vintners, and wineries. Wine has been a huge part of my life. Learning about wine and implementing it is my job and my passion. In watching my family’s love for this profession, I knew that I wanted to make wine since the day I was born. What do you love most about wine? Wine connects people. It is a conversation-starter; an ice breaker. Wine brings joy and life to a party. Good wine never goes unappreciated. Technically, what interests me the most is that the taste of wine always depends on the soil on which the vines are grown – that's very intriguing. What knowledge about wine do you want to share with the Singaporeans at this year’s WGS? Germany is blessed with 13 wonderful wine growing regions. As wine queen, it would be my honor to enlighten them about these areas. I'm sure it would be fun and exciting to discover the taste of each and every region with its special varieties and soils. I often hear that Singaporean food complements German wines very well and that's something that I would like to try and discover with them. What are you looking forward to your Singapore trip? Singapore is such a wonderful country with its deep-rooted and distinct traditions. Singaporean culture is something I'm very excited to experience. Culinary-wise, I am curious about the Hawker centres and Chinatown, where I would like to experience as much as possible. I have heard a lot about the delicious fish-head which is a new concept for me. I have always appreciated good food and love to experience new cuisines. Though the entire culinary scene of Singapore won't be possible for me to cover during my stay, I am very keen on fitting in as much as possible of the tempting delicacies this great country has to offer. Is there any particular Singapore dish that you can’t wait to try? I’ve heard about a fruit that is called Durian. I really would like to experience its aromas, maybe then try it. It seems to be very famous. Love it or hate it – I will see. I love to eat spicy food, which allowed me to enjoy the cuisine during my trips to India. It made me appreciate that sometimes the same ingredients taste so differently depending on how they are prepared. The Singaporean style of food preparation, something very new to me, is what I would love to experience. What is your favorite Hawker food? Do you have the perfect wine to pair it up with? Why? In learning about Singapore was the first time that I heard about “Hawker food”! Chilli Crab sounds very interesting and this would definitely suit my love for seafood. A Hawker food, like Satay, with different kinds of meat and sauces sounds very tempting! I think I would pair a Riesling with a bit of residual sugar to balance the sharp spice and acidity of the food.

German dishes you will fall in love with Fine dining restaurants to pamper yourself with