The wine gods (photo taken from a building in Berlin)
Its certainly a great honour to be called “vintner of the year”. Since 1994 Gault Millau, Germany’s wine guide and major authority regarding wine, wine business and the wine sector, is awarding the “vintner of the year” award.
Today the total number of vintners of the year is 16, seven of which come from the Mosel wine region. The current one, however, comes from the Pfalz (Knipser brothers).
But in the years 2007 (Theo Haart, Mosel), 2005 (Kartaeuserhof, Ruwer), 2001 (Loosen, Mosel), 1998 (Mueller-Scharzhof, Saar), 1996 (Joh. Jos. Pruem, Mosel), 1995 (von Schubert, Ruwer) and 1994 (Fritz Haag, Mosel) the vintner of the year came from my home, the Mosel river and its tributaries.
(Remark: the Mosel wine region was originally called: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
No other German wine region has provided that many “champions”. So far the Nahe and Pfalz wine regions had two vintners of the year; and Rheinhessen, Rheingau, Frankonia, Ahr and Baden had one each (for the names of the vintners of the year: Gault Millau).
I came about this fact only by accident while researching a story, I was going to write. I have to find more Mosel wines here in Bangkok, I guess. Wish me luck.
The Man from Mosel River 
Since I don’t live in Germany, I can’t really comment, BUT, I think the Eichelmann guide is at least level or more of the standardwerk as compared to G-M. It is hard to get in the US, but amazon.de ships (Teuer!) to me. They have awarded the ‘Wein des Jahres’ since 2004, and it is no surprise that most have been dry, because dry RULES in the fatherland. As a result, the Mosel hasn’t won yet. In the edelsuesse kollection category, the Mosel has won 3/7, which is no surprise. Contrary to contemporary popular opinion in Germany, it is the non-trocken QmP wines of the Mosel that define German wine greatness…
I was a good friend of Fritz Giese, a fine wine producer in Traben-Trarbach, I am trying to find out if his son Peter is now operating the vineyard and wine business. How can I find out.