Riesling Fellowship
Riesling Fellowship
In 2013 Wines of Germany officially recognised six Riesling fellows for their dedication, passion and love of German Riesling. They have considerably contributed to enhancing the appreciation and image of German Riesling significantly in the UK and around the world. Since then, in 2015 and 2016, five more Riesling Fellows were honored at London's Vintner's Hall and during Vinexpo in Hongkong by Monika Reule, managing director of the German Wine Institute. Another four Riesling Fellows from Europe were awarded in 2016. For the first time, three Riesling Fellows were selected in the USA in 2017. In 2018, four more Riesling Fellows were honored in Hong Kong. In 2019 four Riesling Fellows from Europe were awarded in Berlin. In 2021, two Riesling Fellows were selected from Canada.
Riesling Fellows 2021

Al Drinkle
Riesling Fellow
Al Drinkle is a partner in Metrovino Fine Wines, a retail destination in Calgary, Canada where he’s been working since 2008. The completion of his philosophy degree was concurrent with his budding interest in wine (and the disbanding of his touring punk rock group), and a few early Riesling epiphanies inspired him to pursue a career in the wine trade. Read more

Harry Drung
Riesling Fellow
Harry Drung is the president of HHD Imports, based in Waterloo, Ontario. He says he has been involved with the alcoholic beverage industry since he was 7 years old, when his immigrant father entered the industry as a multilingual sales representative. Read more
Riesling Fellows 2019

Nils Flaaten
Riesling Fellow
For the past 32 years, Nils Flaaten has run the Flaaten wine store in Oslo, first founded in 1893. He has developed it into one of the most significant private wine merchants in all of Norway. Read more

Tomasz Prange-Barczyński
Riesling Fellow
Tomasz Prange-Barczyński is one of Poland's best-known and most respected wine critics, authors, editors and wine jurors. Journalism courses through his veins, but his heart belongs to wine. Read more

Nico Knott
Riesling Fellow
Nico Knott is a hotelier, chef and wine merchant of the highest caliber. He first founded his own hotel-restaurant, the "Vier Jahreszeiten," 30 years ago in 1989 in Nidrum, a small town near the German/Belgian border. Read more

Lars Daniëls
Riesling Fellow
In his role as Editor-in-Chief for Perswijn, the Netherland's leading wine magazine, Lars Daniëls traverses all corners of the world of wine. Read more
Riesling Fellows 2018

Fongyee Walker, Master of Wine
Riesling Fellow
Fongyee Walker is the co-founder, with Edward Ragg, of Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting, Beijing’s first and fully independent wine consulting and education service (est. 2007). She is the first and only Master of Wine resident in Mainland China. Read more

Eisaku Kurokawa, Fushimi Wines
Riesling Fellow
Eisaku Kurokawa is the president of the Japanese import company Fushimi Wines. His dedication for German wine is strongly connected with his commitment to develop the German Wine Association in Japan, of which he has been the secretary general for many years. Read more

Dr. Hoon Choi, Editor Wine Review
Riesling Fellow
Before earnestly setting foot in the world of wine, Dr. Choi served as a public official for more than 30 years. In particular, he greatly contributed to the success of the 1988 Seoul Olympics by taking charge of the tourism and transport sectors. Read more

Stephen Brook, wine writer
Riesling Fellow
Stephen Brook studied English and philosophy at Trinity College, Cambridge. After many years as a publisher’s editor, in both the United States and Britain, he became a freelance writer in 1982 and has written many award-winning books on travel and wine. Read more
Riesling Fellows 2017
