Christian Adams
37 years old
Biebelsheim, Germany
[The following is excerpted from a Wine Spectator article.]
Adams, who lived in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, joined the German Wine Institute
in 1989 and became its export marketing director in 1995, with
responsibility for promoting German wine outside the country. He worked for
a short time in the New York office. He held degrees in viticulture and
enology from the University of Geisenheim, in Germany, and in marketing from
the University of California, Davis.
Carol Sullivan, director of the German Wine Information Bureau in New York,
described Adams as "the hub of our whole wine promotion worldwide. He was
extremely dedicated, considerate and could always be counted on for a
well-thought out decision."
Adams was in New York on Monday, Sept. 10, for the bureau's annual vintage
tasting of German wines, held at the Puck Building on Lafayette Street. He
and other German winemakers and representatives were scheduled to repeat the
tasting in San Francisco last Thursday.
On the morning of Sept. 11, Sullivan and Adams were both traveling to San
Francisco for the tasting and left Newark on different flights, 15 minutes
apart. Sullivan, whose flight was diverted, suffered a heart spasm upon
hearing the fate of Adams and was hospitalized for a while. Many of the
other German wine industry representatives were flying that day, but none
were reported to be on Flight 93 or otherwise missing in the attacks.
Adams is survived by his wife, Silke, and two children, Lukas and Theresa. Lukas is seven years old and Theresa is five years old.
A memorial service was held at the Mainz Cathedral.
In addition, the German Wine Institute has set up a fund for Adams' family.
According to Carol Sullivan, donations in the United States are being
coordinated by a former employee of the German Wine Information Bureau,
Cindy Krebs Martin, and will be transferred to the account in Germany.
In the United States, checks should be made out to: "The Christian Adams Memorial Fund," c/o 6100 Puerto Drive, Rancho Murieta, CA 95683.
Bank: Raiffeissen-Volksbank eG, Mainz. Account: 20 640 9067. Bank Code number: 550 607 07. Account holder: Deutches Weininstitut. Please mention: "Spendenkonto Christian Adams"
For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's biography of Christian Adams, click here.
