Historical Account of Moselle Wine's Impact in Russia
In the world of diplomacy, fine wines and good food have long been considered essential elements in negotiations. This is according to Ralf Frenzel, a wine connoisseur from Wiesbaden, who believes that sharing a drink can help even in difficult situations.
Ralf Frenzel is the current owner of the Geheimrat Wegeler winery, where a 1953 vintage of the Bernkasteler Doctor was produced. This particular wine holds symbolic value for Frenzel, as it was served by German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer during a historical breakfast meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Sosnowka, Russia on September 11, 1955.
The menu card from the breakfast meeting, preserved in the political archive of the Foreign Office, lists the 1953 vintage of the Bernkasteler Doctor. The bottles of wine that Adenauer took on his trip to Russia and those he gave as gifts have been consumed, but at least five bottles from that vintage have survived in the cool cellar of the Wegeler winery in Kues.
One of these remaining bottles will be auctioned off in Boston to mark the 70th anniversary of Adenauer's trip to Russia. The wine, which is likely to sell for over 10,000 euros, is being marketed as "the wine that freed 10,000 German prisoners of war."
Frenzel believes that serving exquisite wines could potentially influence important negotiations. He suggests that a bottle of Bernkasteler Doctor could make a difference in difficult situations, and even goes so far as to speculate that it could have a positive impact on world leaders like Trump and Putin.
However, the Wegeler winery is not planning to sell the remaining bottles of the 1953 vintage to just anyone. Frenzel believes that the wine should only be parted with if there is a significant event to celebrate.
In a recent incident, Frenzel criticized the serving of fish rolls during a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, considering it a disgrace. He believes that if a high-ranking official were to take a bottle of Bernkasteler Doctor to an important meeting, it could have a positive impact.
Frenzel has tasted a 1953 Spaetlese from the same vineyard and described it as fantastic, with notes of forest floor, citrus, peach, and grapefruit. Despite the passage of time, the wine's quality remains undiminished, making it a valuable piece of history.
The Wegeler winery does not hold a grudge over the French still holding a disgraceful opinion of the fish rolls served during the Scholz-Macron meeting. Instead, they continue to produce high-quality wines, hoping that one day a bottle of Bernkasteler Doctor will once again be served at a historic meeting, helping to bring people together.
