German Wine Institute launches intern initiative

Written by Carol Emmas

Tuesday, 09 February 2010

The German Wine Institute (GWI) has launched an initiative aimed at giving young foreign wine industry professionals work experience at a top German wine estate.

The Generation Riesling Wine Xperience, is a new international internship, led by a group of young German producers collectively known as the Generation Riesling.

Wine producers, such as Weingut Georg Breuer and Weingut Winzerfamilie Flick will host overseas interns who will be given lodgings at the wine estate and the opportunity to work alongside winemakers for a minimum of two weeks.

To be eligible for an internship, candidates must work in the food and drink industry and be willing to share their experiences through social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Nicky Forrest, managing director of Wines of Germany, said: "We have run trips to Germany for sommeliers and the trade in recent years and participants always come back with renewed enthusiasm for German wines. This initiative goes one step further, providing a great opportunity for up-and-coming members of the trade to learn from the experts about what makes Germany such a special wine-producing country, so we expect demand to be high for these places."

To apply for the programme, contact the Wines of Germany team to request an application form and send your completed form to Michael Schemmel at the GWI in Mainz, Germany. He will pass your request on to the Generation Riesling producers participating in "Wine Xperience" for their consideration.

www.winesofgermany.co.uk