Almost 100 people were seated in a spacious hall and there was a great deal of silence. This is what one normally knows from opera and theatre, but for the past 20 years also from the annual tasting of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) in the Kurhaus Kolonnaden, in front of the casino in the city of Wiesbaden.
From morning to night, hardly anything can be heard. At most, a slight gurgling and discreet spitting, which is quite socially acceptable at wine tastings, and the quiet footsteps of around 50 service staff.
