The Society for the History of Wine (GGW) has awarded its sponsorship award for wine historical research for the first time. The award went to Felix Krieger for his master's thesis titled "Vollrads Castle 1808–1860. Economy of an Estate." It was presented at the annual meeting of the society in Sursee (Canton Lucerne).

The jury rated Krieger's work as "clearly outstanding." In his study, Krieger analyzes the economic development of the Vollrads Castle winery in the first half of the 19th century. He shows that it was not solely a winery at that time, but an economic enterprise with multiple sources of income. The basis of his detailed analysis are nearly completely preserved accounting and bookkeeping documents, which made a comprehensive reconstruction of the economic conditions possible. In addition to the scope of the 283-page work, the jury particularly highlighted the extensive source study, the elaborate evaluation, and the analytical depth. The integration of contemporary historical and family historical aspects was also positively evaluated.

The award, endowed with 1,000 euros, aims to specifically promote young researchers and strengthen wine history as a field of research. It is aimed at students as well as graduates of relevant disciplines. Krieger studied history at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and completed his work there in 2025. Today, he is a research associate at the Institute for Banking and Financial History.

Founded in 1959, the GGW claims to have more than 500 members and sees itself as a network for the research and communication of the culture and history of wine in the German-speaking world. In addition to its annual meeting, it regularly publishes scientific contributions.

(ru – Image: Vollrads Castle)