Nicole Then is a presenter and mother – her life is ticking along very nicely. That was also the case in her time as the Franconian and German wine queen. She learned a lot for her future career during that time. The former FHWS student still remains loyal to her home region today and presents her own programme on Radio Charivari in Würzburg.
“As a small child, I did my homework in the vineyard after school,” Nicole Then says with a smile on her face. For as long as she can remember, one topic has always been present for her: wine. This also gives you some idea of where and how the 40-year-old grew up: in a wine village in a winemaking family. The historical town, with 1,400 residents and 100 winemaking families, is called Sommerach. And she still lives there today with her husband and two children. Not because she doesn’t like to get out and about – quite the opposite: travelling is her greatest passion – but she has her “home base” in Franconia.
Despite eight hectares of vineyards which Then’s parents owned at its peak, vineyard work wasn’t for her. “If anything, my interest in the topic of wine developed when I started drinking wine myself,” she smiles. And talking about wine. “My strength lies in communication, passing on this enthusiasm for this product – standing in the vineyard and cutting grapes is not my forte.” At the age of 19, while she was still at school, she was elected as the wine princess of Sommerach. The weekend then became about giving speeches instead of partying. “It was also about giving something up,” says Then. But she really enjoyed her new job – so much that, after three years as wine princess, she wanted to go one step further.
A different period of study
She had already started her studies in business administration at FHWS in Würzburg when she was elected as the Franconian wine queen at the age of 22. She had the same shoulder-length brown hair that she has today – just that it was usually also adorned with a crown. When asked what she liked best about her period of study apart from life as a wine queen, she laughs and says: “Whew, it was so long ago.” But then something comes to her: “Practical projects! That’s also why I opted to study at FHWS back then, because the practical orientation is simply much greater.” She particularly remembers the creative lectures from Prof. Dr. Wieland Weiß, who has since retired. After being chosen as wine queen, however, the then student had to take three semesters on leave of absence: “Although it is still an honorary office, it is nevertheless a full time job. I would not have been able to study diligently and at the same time do justice to the office of wine queen.”
But there was one final stage to climb: election as the German wine queen. And here too, the presenter prevailed. “That was the start of a truly exciting time, which was definitely a highlight of my life,” Then remembers. Trips to Japan, Russia, and the Olympic Games in Athens are just a small excerpt from the list. For her, it was enriching above all. “When you, as a young person, are suddenly catapulted into a world where you sit together with Gerhard Schröder, who was Federal Chancellor at the time, one night, meet presenter Günther Jauch at a television award ceremony the next, and meet some other celebrity the day after, it is an unbelievable chance for personal development.”
She not only improved her rhetoric skills, she also matured as a whole as a result of the office. Of course, she also brought a certain amount of talent to the role: “I have always been something of an extrovert by nature, I always enjoyed acting and never had a problem with standing up and saying something.” As wine queen it is important to convey this particular attitude towards life in the wine regions and to enjoy giving speeches and presentations. You can still feel this passion today when speaking to her.
From a crown to a microphone
During her studies at FHWS, Then not only travelled the world and presented wine, she also got started in radio. Her year as German wine queen was followed by an internship at Radio Charivari in Würzburg, where she subsequently trained as a presenter. Her long-time colleague Monique Marten remembers this early period well. And one day in particular: it was the Mainfrankenmesse and Radio Charivari had its own small stage. “Then we had the idea: we’ll throw the young woman in at the deep end,” says Marten. So the trainee presenter had the microphone put into her hand and had to present on the fly. “She did a simply magnificent job on stage,” her colleague remembers.
Today, Nicole Then, who successfully completed her studies at FHWS as a business administration graduate, is on air every two weeks talking about a wide variety of topics to do with Mainfranken. According to Monique Marten, “Nicole as a complete package” shines through here: “She knows what she’s talking about and where the problems lie because she is from the region and, as a mother of two, she is in the middle of life.” This all makes her genuine. Another aspect of Then’s complete package is her one hundred percent reliability – both her husband and her colleague say so: “She is a great guarantee of reliability.”
Between events and everyday life
In “normal” times, Nicole Then presents three to five events a month in addition to her radio show. After her role as wine queen, presenting events continued to appeal to her. She likes learning the ropes of new topics time and again – “whether it’s a quantum physics event or the Carnival wine tasting that I have presented once a year for Bayerischer Rundfunk for almost 20 years,” she says. She also once presented an award ceremony for the Marketing-Club Mainfranken, of which her former professor Dr Wieland Weiß was president and in which FHWS participated. It is the variety that Then likes so much about presenting: “It’s never boring.” And then there is also her everyday life with two children, the oldest is nine and the youngest is six. Her husband, Robert Plannasch, who makes his living as an independent contractor, says that his wife also handles the stress of everyday life very well. “She really does her best for the children, she is incredibly structured and organised.” That’s why she is also the stricter of the two of them, he says with a laugh.
The mother of two is used to stress and a full schedule. But she also enjoys rest periods and hopes that carefree travel will be possible again soon. She talks about a semester abroad in Canada and what a good time she had. “Because no-one knew what a German wine queen was, and that was refreshing.” It’s very different in Sommerach where everyone knows each other. “She is still in many people’s minds here and my father’s generation in particular are very proud,” says Robert Plannasch. The former wine queen was even once recognised by a German tourist in a remote hotel in the USA. “That resulted in a fun evening which ended in a karaoke bar,” her husband remembers. But at home, in her “home base” is always best. Nicole Then is Franconian through and through.
