German wine-growing regions are re-thinking the traditional wine queen role, with some expanding the tradition to include men while others ditch the post altogether.
The traditional Pfalz wine-growing region has been roiled by debate since locals decided to abolish the historic tradition of appointing a wine queen.
Instead, Germany's second-largest wine-growing region is picking a Pfalz wine ambassador, replacing the familiar crown with a more modest lapel pin.
In the mostly male-dominated wine industry, wine princesses and wine queens have long represented wine at festivals and political meetings in a bid to boost wine sales.
Germany has 13 wine-growing areas and so far, none has followed Pfalz's move to abolish the regional wine queen, though four regions opened up to male candidates.
The Pfalz row pit traditionalists who want to uphold the old custom, including local politicians and former wine royalty, against those calling for a long overdue reform to let men run for the title too.
The discussion is being played out in other villages and communities struggling to fill the wine sovereign job, a post that puts the holder on the road nearly every weekend.
Boris Kranz, who announced the decision on behalf of the Pfalz wine society, said he was surprised at some of the vitriol of the debate, which included personal and often insulting attacks.
"On the one hand, you want to be perceived as a modern wine region, but on the other hand you are chaining yourself to tradition," Kranz said.
Neustadt mayor Marc Weigel says it is the wrong decision.
"This reform leads to a devaluation of the brand," he said. "I am not a supporter of monarchy, but the glamorous and fairy-tale element is part of the role. This cannot be easily transferred to a man just because we say we live in an egalitarian society and everything has to be open to all genders," he says.
An online petition against the change garnered around 5,000 signatures six days after its launch. On the other hand, many younger winemakers are thought to be in favour of the reform.
The German Wine Institute does not intend to adopt the wording from Pfalz, with the election of the nationwide German wine queen currently being organized.
Meanwhile, Franconia is home to almost 100 wine princesses and three reigning wine princes.
One is Matthäus Flohr, 24, from near Würzburg, holder of the office for just over a year, in which he has represented his wine community at regional festivals as well as in Munich and Berlin.
"I've always received a warm welcome so far," says Flohr, though he has also heard his share of "stupid comments," but those people soon saw they failed to get a rise out of him.
Franconia has a sizeable community of wine princesses and Flohr says he was a little apprehensive before he first met his colleagues. "They were all strangers and they were all women," he says.
Plus the whole wine royalty infrastructure was geared around women, from the forms to presentations at training courses. But those structures are changing. "Now there are also presentation slides on how to dress and behave well as a male wine prince at an event," says Flohr.
Wine is not just an honorary position for Flohr, but also his main profession, as a winemaker who runs a wine bistro with his parents.
He was not motivated to become a wine prince out of a desire for diversity and gender equality but because no one else could be found.
The job was vacant for a year. "Then I stepped up and just asked if I could do it," says Flohr, who reasons that every wine village needs a representative.
It first required some discussion in the local winegrowers' association. "One side said that we had never had anything like this before and that we had to stay true to tradition," says Flohr.
Others pointed out that this is the 21st century and some development is needed.
A similar dearth of talent in Kitzingen led to the election of wine prince Leon Gärtner, who recently took up the office. His predecessor, Julia Kerzner, was wine queen for six years, beyond the two originally planned.
At some point, she could no longer manage the job, which comes with appointments almost every weekend.
Kerzner had 100 appointments per year. "We spent a long time looking for a successor," she says. Despite reaching out through the media, social media, adverts, personal contacts, no successor could be found.
She also tried approaching men and there too had no luck. Only when it became clear that she was quitting and that there would no longer be a wine sovereign did Gärtner get in touch.
Julius Löther, 19, was keen right from the start and has held the post of wine prince since April.
"My father had a winery that he unfortunately had to give up," Gärtner says. "But I wanted to maintain the connection to wine myself, so I asked if I could take over the position."
Gender diversity is slowly changing the German wine world. Last year, officials changed the guidelines for the election of the German Wine Queen so male or diverse candidates could apply too. In Baden, a trans woman became wine princess in 2018.
As the job changes, so too are the accessories, with the three wine princes in Franconia not wearing crowns but brooches.
Flohr's brooch symbolizes his home town, Franconia and wine.
"We tried to wear a crown two or three times, but it looked too strange," he says.
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