Pictures: The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented: 2020 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages, Washington DC, USA
On Friday, May 20, 2022, the German Wine Society
(Washington DC Chapter) met for its first in-person event of the year (the two previous events were online), our annual New Vintage tasting hosted by Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages. Annette Schiller of ombiasy WineTours was in charge of the food.
Pictures: The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented:
2020 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages,
Washington DC, USA
The annual “New German Vintage Tasting" of the German Wine Society
(Washington DC Chapter) is always a highlight for the German wine aficionados in the
Washington DC area.
This year, we were enjoying the wines of 2020, after having done both 2018 and 2019 in the fall of last year when our Society resumed in-person events.
The event was very enjoyable, and Phil delivered an informative lecture as always, well paced with enough time for wine drinking and conversation between the segments of his presentation. The discussion was conducted with explanations of the German wine terminology, quite helpful for our newer members and non-members, and there was ample opportunity for questions. All the wines served were Rieslings, and nearly all from the Mosel, with two from the Nahe region.
Pictures: The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented:
2020 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages,
Washington DC, USA
In
earlier years, the “New German Vintage Tasting" was led by Terry
Theise, the famous importer of German wines. In recent years, since
Terry moved from the Washington DC area to the Boston arera, Phil
Bernstein has led the tasting. He is very entertaining and
knowledgeable about German wine. In addition to being the General
Manager, he is in charge of German wines at
MacArthur Beverages, one of the best German wine retailers in the
country.
This year again, we had a good turn-out. Thank you
very much Phil for a great event.
In terms of
covid rules, we were very strict. Only vaccinated people were allowed
to participate and everybody had to show his or her CDC card before
entering the venue.
Pictures: The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented:
2020 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages,
Washington DC, USA Invitation
Every
year we host a tasting to try German wines from the new vintage, with a
focus on Riesling. Our host is Phil Bernstein, General Manager of
MacArthur Beverages, one of the leading retailers of German Riesling in
the country. Every year, Phil brings fabulous wines for us to try and
this year will definitely be no exception.
The
new vintage is 2020. Last year we tasted the wines of 2018 and 2019,
so this event brings us up to date. Early reports describe the 2020
wines as: beautiful, elegant, classic. John Gilman writes that some of
the 2020s are the best young German Rieslings he has ever tasted. We
will be enjoying 10 German wines from 2020 plus a welcoming sparkling
wine, with a variety of Feinherb, GG, Kabinett, Spätlese
and Auslese. As those who have attended
previous New Vintage events are aware, Phil always chooses a good mix of
high-quality producers for us, with both dry wines and sweet wines of
various prädikat
levels. There will also be a selection of cheeses, breads or crackers,
cold cuts and veggies provided to accompany the tasting.
The Wines
First Flight: Fine Feinherbs
Weiser-Kunstler Riesling Feinherb Mosel
Peter Lauer Barrel X Riesling Feinherb Mosel (Saar)
Second Flight: Glorious GGs from Emrich-Schonleber
Emrich-Schonleber Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling GG Nahe (96 WA)
Emrich-Schonleber Halenberg Riesling GG Nahe (96 WA)
Third Flight: A Kabinett Duo
Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich (or Domprobst) Riesling Kabinett Mosel (93 WA, 94 JS)
Carl von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Mosel
Fourth Flight: A Pair from Prüm
JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Mosel
JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Spätlese
Fifth Flight: Auslese Grand Finale
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr “Rotlay” Riesling Auslese Mosel (98 JS)
Weiser-Kunstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Auslese Mosel (375 ml)
German Wine and the Washington DC Market
The
tasting was very well appreciated by the participants of the event.
There was no red wine, only white, while red wine now accounts for 1/3
of German wine production. All the wines were Riesling. Except for 2 wines, all wines were fruity-sweet and from the Mosel.
The
selection of Phil met very well with what the large majority of the
German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) members had expected to be
presented at the "New Vintage Tasting" event: Fruity-sweet Riesling from
the Mosel, moving up the sweetness level from Kabinett to Spätlese and
finally Auslese.
Thank you very much Phil.
Pictures: The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented:
2020 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages,
Washington DC, USA
German Wine and ombiasy WineTours of Annette Schiller
On
her wine tours, Annette covers all 13 German wine regions. The Mosel is
part of the Germany North Tour, along with the Rheingau, Mittelrhein,
Nahe and the Ahr region. We have visited Weingut Lauer, Weingut Emrich-Schönleber, Weingut Von Schubert, Weingut JJ Prüm and Weingut Seelbach Oster. We have met Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler, owners of Weingut Weiser Künstler, and Christoph Schäfer, owner of Weingut Willi Schäfer, in New York.
Weingut Weiser-Künstler
Weingut Peter Lauer
Weingut Maximin Grünhaus Carl von Schubert
Picture: Annette Schiller and Carl von Schubert, Maximin Grünhaus, in New York City
Picture: Christian Schiller and Carl von Schubert at McArthur Beverages in Washington DC
Previous Years' “New German Vintage” Tastings of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter)
For previous years, see:
The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented: 2019 German
Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages, Washington
DC, USA
The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented: 2017 German Vintage Tasting
with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages, Washington DC, USA
The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented: 2016 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages, Washington DC, USA
The German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) Presented: 2015 German Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein, USA
Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages Presents the new Vintage (2014) to the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), USA/ Germany
German Riesling - What the American Market Wants: Vintage 2013 Tasting with German Wine Expert Phil Bernstein, MacArthur Beverages, Washington DC
The Annual “New German Vintage” Tasting of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) led by Phil Bernstein - 2012 Vintage, Germany/USA
German Wine: Tasting with Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages the 2011 Vintage in Washington DC, USA
The 2010 Vintage Tasting of the German Wine Society (Aaron Nix-Gomez)
Phil Bernstein’s Third Annual German Riesling Tasting with the German Wine Society, Washington DC Chapter - Rieslings With a Touch of Sweetness
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
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Announcement: Ombiasy WineTours in 2022 Summer and Fall
Announcement: 3 Ombiasy Wine Tours in 2022 - Rhône Valley Tour: June 20 - June 29,
Germany South - Alsace: July 01 - July 10, Bordeaux: September 20 -
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Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
German Wine Society Capital Chapter Membership Meeting 2022: Carl Willner Re-elected
President and Christian Schiller Re-elected Vice-president, USA/ Germany
Washington DC Downtown, USA/ Germany
Christian Stahl, Winzerhof Stahl, Franken, Germany back in the USA - Winemaker Dinner at
the Schiller Residence in McLean, Northern Virginia
The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference December 2021
All Sorts of Sparklers: How do the Bubbles get into that Bottle - Presentation by
Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, at the 2021 American Wine Society
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