Steffen Christmann – New President of the VDP Prädikat Estates

The new president of the VDP is Steffen Christmann. The 42-year old vintner from Gimmeldingen/Pfalz was unanimously elected to succeed Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm at this year’s general meeting, held at the State Wine Domain in Weinsberg/Württemberg, on 4 July 2007.

Steffen Christmann – New President of the VDP Prädikat Estates

GIMMELDINGEN, WEINSBERG, GERMANY. The new president of the VDP is Steffen Christmann. The 42-year old vintner from Gimmeldingen/Pfalz was unanimously elected to succeed Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm at this year’s general meeting, held at the State Wine Domain in Weinsberg/Württemberg, on 4 July 2007.

After 17 years in office, Prince Salm felt the time was ripe for a new generation to take over, and did not run for reelection. The assembly also decided to increase the number of presiding officers to six members in order to more evenly distribute responsibilities. Michael Graf Adelmann (Württemberg) and Reinhard Löwenstein (Mosel) were confirmed in office.

New presiding officers are Armin Diel (Nahe), Paul Fürst (Franken), Joachim Heger (Baden), and Wilhelm Weil (Rheingau). This decision reflects the fact that the Prädikat wine estates greatly increased their influence during Prinz Salm’s term of office. Steffen Christmann takes up office with clear objectives.

First, he will continue to implement the “work of the century,” i.e. the classification system that his predecessor, Prinz Salm, began in 1992. He also feels it is important to further develop the VDP’s function as a role model in German viticulture by fostering contemporary quality standards among member estates.

Sensitizing members to issues related to sustaining viticulture and the upcoming centennial of the association in 2010 are also high on his list of priorities. When Prinz Salm took office in 1990, he had ambitious visions, which in retrospect, he was able to successfully realize. He established, for example, a stringent estate inspection analagous with the VDP statutes in order to guarantee a continuously high quality level among all member estates. He also wanted the “VDP eagle” to become a trademark, at home and abroad, for the finest wines of Germany.

Today, some 17 years later, it is universally recognized as such among trade professionals. The preservation of Germany’s viticultural heritage is another subject dear to his heart, not least because his ancestors number among the country’s oldest wine growing families. Under Prinz Salm’s leadership, a vineyard classification was developed that defined the best terroirs of Germany, and VDP estates committed themselves to working in harmony with nature. As such, these terroirs will be viable for future generations.

In appreciation of his untiring efforts “under the sign of the eagle,” he was presented with a bronze sculpture of an eagle, a work of the contemporary German sculptor Werner Franzen. According to the newly elected president of the Prädikat wine estates, Steffen Christmann: “I sense that we’re at the dawn of a new era for German viticulture, and this will add impetus to my work as VDP president. Together with my new executive team, I hope we will succeed in making the Prädikat wine estates fit for the next “VDP centennial,” and in so doing, ensure the economical future of our estates.”