Life in Germany

Geisenheim, a town of 12,000 inhabitants, offers students a high quality of living, with the university’s unique position between the River Rhine and the vineyards of the Rheingau vineyards – while also within easy reach of lively big cities.

Hessen’s county capital city, Wiesbaden, is around 20km from Geisenheim.  Geisenheim is easily reached with the Regionalzug (regional train line), with direct connections from Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Koblenz.  Frankfurt International Airport is only 40 minutes away by car.

The Student Organisation (AStA) organizes a full event program for students, including tastings, parties and the ‘Barrel Get-Togethers’ . There are events organized by the town, throughout the year: for example, the Lindenfest, a Street Food Festival and the „Besser als nix!“-Festival for young culture in the Rheingau.

As well as numerous restaurants, the Straußwirtschaften (wine bars attached to wineries) offer students a relaxed atmosphere in which to meet friends and enjoy a glass of wine accompanied by regional food specialities.  When you need a little more excitement, the cities of Wiesbaden and Frankfurt are only a (free with the semester ticket!) short train ride away.

Testimony of Shraddha V More from India, graduate in 2017

When did you graduate and what was the topic of your thesis?

I graduated from Vinifera programme in the year 2017. My topic for my master thesis was “Influence of method of production, different yeast and ageing duration of the German sparkling wine on foam, bubble behaviour and its characteristics“.

The aim was to analyse the quality of the bubble of different Sekts. Wine samples were supplied by famous producers like Schloss Vaux and Henkel. Fortunatly, I got to carry out my latter half of the thesis from University of Melbourne, Australia to work with the FizzyEyeRobot to get a better understanding of the bubble dynamic and its influence on the overall quality of sparkling wine.

What are the challenges in your profession?

I have always worked in the wine industry and would like to keep that going. I have done few grunt works in the winery while I was studying in the UK along with an internship.

Currently, I work as an assistant winemaker for my family winery. I am also a vineyard consultant. Nowadays, the unseasonal weather because of climate change, some different pests have been intruded with ever changing suspectibility of different varieties. Adaptation & flexibility of ideas according to the need of the market is another skill that I have come to grow while learning from this industry.

I love challenges as it always keeps me on my toes and inspires me to quest for knowledge and skills

What are your memories of the time in Geisenheim? What inspired you during your studies?

There are so many memories like from the train station to the classroom, lab and tasting room. To name a few, I really enjoyed the WSET tasting sessions, research seminars, interesting lectures also the memories of all the professors who really inspired us with their teaching dedication and made our whole journey of knowledge really fun & memorable! And the sweet & precious moments spent with friends and other students in Geisenheim is really unforgetable.

Why is it worthwhile to study in Geisenheim?

To say the least, I dreamt of studying in Geisenheim University since I graduated from India. The aim was to enter the Vinifera EuroMaster program. As recommended I obtained a degree in enology from the UK and applied for the Erasmus program. Fortunately, it was successful and the rest is history!

The Geisenheim university has the highest quality teaching standards, with its remarkable professors who guides you in every step is precious. The whole international culture in this university is rich and it conveys a social message of unity amongst students and teachers. All these aspect exhibits the reputation that it holds today and therefore I highly recommend this university to those who wish to seek knowledge and a culture rich experience! And all I would say that its worth every minute and penny!