Berlin, Aug 4 (IANS) A Syrian refugee has been crowned "queen" of one of Germany's top wine-making regions, the first asylum seeker to receive such an accolade.
Student Ninorta Bahno, 26, fled the civil war in Syria more than three years ago, the BBC reported on Thursday.
The Syrian Christian was crowned wine queen in the city of Trier, western Germany, in the Moselle wine region near the border with Luxembourg.
She said she hoped the prize would encourage integration.
"I want to show that Germany is a welcoming country and that the Germans are very hospitable and work towards integrating refugees quickly and successfully," Deutsche Welle quoted Bahno as saying.
Bahno will spend the next year representing winemakers from around Trier at festivals and events, the BBC reported.
Bahno said she had taken a crash course on local wine-making and that her favourite variety was a sweet Riesling.
The tradition of German wine queens dates back to the 1930s.
Every September, the wine queens from German's 13 wine regions compete for the title of German Wine Queen, the BBC added.
