Wines of Germany’s Riesling Fellowship is an annual event that celebrates the achievements of key players in the German wine market worldwide.

Four men were made fellows at the gala dinner held at Vintners’ Hall in London last night. They are (see picture): Belgium importer François Langbeen, UK food and restaurant consultant Martin Lam, Swiss wine importer Max Gerstl, and Swiss merchant Peter Kuhn.

This year’s event focused on Riesling Sekt, celebrating the quality renaissance that has been driven by German Sekt producers in recent years.

The evening commenced with a ‘Still or Sparkling?’ tasting from 12 top German Sekt producers to celebrate the sparkling wines of Germany. Following the tasting, Anne Krebiehl MW gave a seminar on ‘Effervescent Riesling - The Secrets of Sekt’.

German Wine Institute CEO Monika Reule said: “The Riesling Fellowship is an opportunity for us to celebrate the excellent wine produced in the German wine growing regions, with those members of the trade whose passion and dedication is instrumental in ensuring these wines get the recognition they deserve."

The Riesling Fellowship has now become an international event, with the first Asian Riesling Fellowship awarding five fellows in 2016. 2017 will also see a Riesling Fellowship taking place in the US.