Marlies Dumbsky was born on 20 October 1985 in Volkach and comes from a Franconian vintner family that has been in the wine-growing business since 1837.[2] Her parents come from the vineyard of Weingut Dumbsky-Marienhof in Volkach.[2] From 2004 to 2006 she was the local wine princess of her home town. In March 2008 she became the 53rd Franconian Wine Queen.[3][4] In Neustadt an der Weinstraße she won the German Wine Queen title against five other competitors. She is a trained vintner and "Franconian Wine Experience" tourist guide and speaks several languages in addition to her native German: English, French and Spanish. She is currently doing media and communication studies in Erfurt. She is a native of Volkach and a passionate motorcyclist.[5]
During her time as the German Wine Queen, Marlies Dumbsky toured the US to promote German wine[6] and helped launch a new initiative "Tastings in the Sky" involving a partnership between the German Wine Institute and the German airline, Lufthansa.[7]
