The 2025 Holiday Dinner of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) took place at the prestigious Cosmos Club in Washington DC. The event was sold out.
We enjoyed a 3-course dinner with 8 German and 2 Finger Lakes wines.
Annette and I received the German Wine Society Silver Medallion for superior knowledge of German Wine and joint the exclusive group of I believe 10 German wine lovers in the USA who have received the Silver or Gold Medallion so far.
Jean P Froehly, Minister, Head of Economic and Financials Affairs, who attended with his wife Dr. Justina Budginaite-Froehly, represented the German Embassy in the USA and delivered remarks.
Cosmos Club: A Culture of Distinction
The tradition of Cosmos Club is rooted in dignity, elegance, and camaraderie. Since the club’s inception, we’ve maintained a welcoming atmosphere where members can socialize, relax, dine, and learn.
To become a member of Cosmos Club, an individual must demonstrate distinction in their prospective artistic, scientific, literary, public service, or professional career.
Our members have included three Presidents, two Vice Presidents, 14 Supreme Court justices, 36 Nobel Prize winners, 61 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 55 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom–and this list continues to grow.
The club’s cultural and intellectual programming are at the heart of our prestigious history. Members enjoy lectures on a variety of disciplines, as well as musical concerts and enriching literary conversations. Our community also comes together for holiday events, champagne brunches, wine tastings, and dinner dances.
Beyond the many social events at the club are the opportunities for study and contemplation. Our elegant library is home to over ten thousand volumes, most of which are available for loan to our members. This beautifully preserved space remains a haven for quiet reading and intellectual discussions.
Invitation
Ho,
Ho, Ho, German Wine Society Members and Friends of German Wines, it’s
nearly time to hang the stockings and dream of delicious German wine!
We can gather in person again in Washington, D.C. amidst all the
elegance of Embassy Row.
So, please plan to attend the GWS Holiday paired dinner at the Cosmos Club, Friday, December 12, 2025 for
dinner starting at 7:00 pm, with registration and service of welcoming
sekt and hors d’oeuvres beginning at 6:00 pm. We are very fortunate to
have access to this elegant and festive venue again this year.
The
paired dinner includes a variety of nine German wines and New York
Riesling wines, two sparkling, six whites and a red, among them three
prädikat-level entree and dessert selections including a Beerenauslese,
accompanied by a three-course meal preceded by hors d’oeuvres. This
year, we are offering a choice of three different entrees with different
prices, beef, salmon and duck, as well as a vegan “Chef’s Choice”
alternative. Be sure to register for the one you want, and if there are
multiple people on your order, register separately for each different
entree choice and let the Secretary know by email who is having each
choice for the place cards.
In addition, there
will be entertainment - a holiday piano trio featuring Christine
Kharazian on violin, Irina Ponomareva on cello, and Nina Willner on
piano, with an opportunity to sing some German and other traditional
songs together!
Location: The
address for our holiday dinner is 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20008, just a few blocks from Dupont Circle. Metro is
near (Dupont Circle Red Line) and parking is available to the rear of
the club. The stunning venue is, as in past years, the wood-paneled
Members Dining Room on the 2nd floor in this landmark building. This
year, both the opening reception and the dinner will take place in the
same room - please come into the Members Dining Room when arriving to
sign in rather than waiting in the Long Gallery outside. With
fireplaces lit, perfect for a special holiday wine event with family and
friends! There is a coatroom on the first floor free for members and
guests - no need to bring heavy bags and coats upstairs to the event.
Safety Precautions:
We and the Cosmos Club are no longer requiring proof of vaccination.,
if you contract or test positive for covid-19 or other communicable
disease in advance of the event, we request that you not come for the
safety of our other guests, and request a refund which we can provide if
notified ahead of of the day of the event, to give us a chance to offer
the place to another guest. Mask use when arriving is optional.
Menu: The paired menu will be as follows:
Welcome Reception with passed hors d’oeuvres
Chicken Yakitori Skewers with sweet chili aioli
Endive Boat with blue cheese, candied walnuts, anchovy-lemon vinaigrette
Smoked Salmon Latkes - potato latke, dill creme fraiche, marinated cucumber
2022 Staatsweinkellerei Eberbach Riesling Sekt Brut (12.5% alc.)
2015 Raumland Blanc de Noirs Cuvee Marie-Luise Sekt Brut, Rheinhessen (12% alc.)
First (Appetizer) Course
Compressed Apple Salad with candied walnuts, local greens, dried cherries, crumbled feta, cranberry dressing
Cosmos Club Popovers with sweet creamery butter
2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Weissburgunder Trocken, Pfalz (12% alc.) WS 89
2024 Dr. Konstantin Frank Eugenia Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York (12% alc.) WS 90
Entree Course (choose one dish when registering)
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with carrot puree, roasted mushroom, crispy sun chokes, morel cognac sauce
Fennel Spiced Duck Breast with fall squash risotto, plumped cherries, compressed fennel, pepita crumble
Everything Crusted Salmon with roasted brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, compressed fennel, dill, mustard barre blanc
“Chef’s Choice” Gluten Free Vegan Meal (specific dish to be determined)
2024 Dr. Konstantin Frank Reserve Riesling Medium-Sweet, Finger Lakes, New York (11% alc.)
2022 Meyer-Näkel Frühburgunder, Ahr (13% alc.) WE 91
2014 Fitz-Ritter Gewürztraminer Spätlese, Pfalz (9.5% alc.) WE 87
Dessert Course
Chocolate Mousse Cake, with berries, berry coulis
2023 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, Nahe (8.5% alc.) JS 99, VM 97
2021 Karl Erbes Ürziger in der Kranklei Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel (6% alc.) WA 98
Coffee and Tea Service
Parking:
Club parking is off Florida Avenue behind the club. There is a small
white sign showing the parking entrance. Parking is included in the
event price and there is no tipping at the club including the valet
parking. Parking is limited and club members have preference. It is
highly advisable not to arrive late in case there are other functions
going on at the club that evening.
Dress Code:
The dress code for the Cosmos Club is strict - jackets and ties for
men, comparable business or evening attire for women. No jeans or
tennis shoes are allowed.
Prices: The dinner price, varying by entree selected, is:
Grilled Beef Tenderloin $250 members/$260 non-members
Everything Crusted Salmon $240 members/$250 non-members
Fennel Spiced Duck Breast $240 members/$250 non-members
Vegan “Chef’s Choice” $230 members/$240 non-members
If you are not sure of your current membership status, please contact the Chapter President and Secretary, Carl Willner, at carl.willner1@verizon.net
When and How to Register: The deadline for reservations is Friday, December 5, 2025 so
that we may provide the chef with an accurate count of total guests as
well as the entrees chosen for each guest, and allow time for place
cards for each guest to be made. No late reservations can be allowed
for this event due to these club requirements. This promises to be a
wonderful event so please make your reservations right away and don’t
miss out!
There are two ways to join in the fun. You can register on our website, http://
Carl Willner
1014 Reserve Champion Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
Tours:
The Cosmos Club has advised us that tours of the historic club mansion
for interested guests are once again possible, as in past years.
Availability of tours will depend on willingness of members who are
also Cosmos Club members to conduct them, but we understand that one or
more Cosmos Club members will agree to lead tours. If you would like to
participate in a tour, please reply to this message and let us know of
your interest, and you will be advised at a later date when to arrive
for a tour (usually either an hour before the event, or at the end of
the event).
Questions about Event: The event organizer is Carl Willner, who can be reached by email at carl.willner1@verizon.net,
or at 202-674-9044. Please contact him with any questions, including
current membership status, or correspondence in response to this email.
Report by President Carl Willner
On Friday,
December 12, 2025, the German Wine Society Capital Chapter held its
final event of the year, its annual Holiday Dinner, in the elegant
setting of the Members Dining Room of the Cosmos Club on Embassy Row in Washington, DC, our preferred setting for this event for the past
several years. Attendance for this event was excellent - we completely
filled the dinner with 56 people registered, and 55 attending, at 6
tables with either 9 or 10 people each.... Altogether, we
had 38 members and 18 non-members registered and paid, about our usual
two-thirds/one-third ratio. Four members of the chapter board, myself,
Christian Schiller, Karen Stokes, and Jim Palanchar, were attending.
Other notable guests included Jean Froehly, Minister for Economics and
Finance, from the German Embassy, his wife Justina, and Amy Waller,
national sales manger for the German Wine Collection, a significant
German wine importer....
A dozen members and
guests signed up for, and about ten participated in, a tour of the
Cosmos Club starting at 5:30 pm before the reception, led by Cosmos Club
member and new GWS member Matt Sutko.
Our opening reception began at 6
pm, accompanied by holiday instrumental music from our trio (Nina
Willner on piano, Christine Kharazian on violin, and Irina Ponomareva on
cello), with service of three different hors d’oeuvres and two
different sparkling wines, an Eberbach Riesling from the State Domain,
and a Raumland Blanc de Noirs from Rheinhessen. Both of these wines
were contributed to us, the Eberbach by Antje Frehse of the German
Embassy before she departed this fall for her promotion to Berlin, and
the Raumland by Amy Waller, national sales manager for the German Wine
Collection.
We began the dinner at 7 pm with
my introductory remarks, welcoming remarks from Herr Froehly focusing
on the German-American relationship, and the presentation of Silver
Medallions by John Edmonds, the chapel’s sole active Silver Medallion
holder previously, to Maria So and Barbara Grofic for passing the
updated Silver Medallion test, and to Christian Schiller, Annette
Schiller and myself for our contributions to the GWS demonstrating
knowledge of German wines, including the work Christian and I did on the
updated test and the National website, and Annette’s many knowledgeable
presentations to our chapter.
Service of the first course began just
after the various remarks, which overall took about half an hour, and I
did get some comment from guests about how the service should have
started earlier given the length of the remarks, so we will bear that in
mind for the next holiday dinner and other events.
The first course
featured a compressed apple salad, accompanied by two dry white wines, a
Dr. Burklin-Wolf Weissburgunder from the Pfalz, and a Dr. Konstantin
Frank Eugenia Riesling from the Finger Lakes. The Burklin-Wolf was
another contribution from Antje Frehse, while the Frank was one that I
brought back from my Finger Lakes visit in September. At my table, one
of our more knowledgeable members though that this pairing of the two
different dry whites was excellent, though another did not care for
them, and I would be interested to hear reactions from the other tables.
The next entree course, as usual, provided
guests a choice of beef tenderloin, salmon, or duck, or a vegan dish,
accompanied by three wines, including a Dr. Konstantin Frank Reserve
medium-sweet Riesling from the Finger Lakes, another one I brought back
from my visit there, as well as a Meyer-Nakel Fruhburgunder from the Ahr
(contributed by Amy Waller, and the first time I can recall us having
this early-ripening variant of Spatburgunder), and a Fitz-Ritter
Gewürztraminer Spatlese from 2014, which turned out to still be highly
drinkable after ten years in our cellar. On reflection, had I known how
god this wine would still be, I might have switched it wit the other,
younger Spatlese in the dessert course. Again, reactions from other
tables to these wine choices are welcome.
Between the entree and
dessert courses, we had a musical interlude with our trio performing a
piece from the Nutcracker, Nanette Bishopric doing solos of two
Christmas songs, and a volunteer choir of members and guests joining
Nanette and the trio for several more Christmas songs in both German and
English. Finally, the dessert course consisted of chocolate mousse
cake, accompanied by a Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling
Spatlese, and a Karl Erbes Urziger in her Kranklei Riesling BA, both
highly rated wines (the BA, of which we had half bottles, cost about
$100 each). Many guests were happy to linger well after dessert for
more conversation, with the event wrapping up and gusts departing by 10
pm....
Arriving
Welcome Reception with passed hors d’oeuvres
Chicken Yakitori Skewers with sweet chili aioli
Endive Boat with blue cheese, candied walnuts, anchovy-lemon vinaigrette
Smoked Salmon Latkes - potato latke, dill creme fraiche, marinated cucumber
2022 Staatsweinkellerei Eberbach Riesling Sekt Brut (12.5% alc.)
2015 Raumland Blanc de Noirs Cuvee Marie-Luise Sekt Brut, Rheinhessen (12% alc.)
Dinner
Welcome
Silver Medallion
.jpg)
First (Appetizer) Course
Compressed Apple Salad with candied walnuts, local greens, dried cherries, crumbled feta, cranberry dressing
Cosmos Club Popovers with sweet creamery butter
2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Weissburgunder Trocken, Pfalz (12% alc.) WS 89
2024 Dr. Konstantin Frank Eugenia Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York (12% alc.) WS 90
Entree Course
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with carrot puree, roasted mushroom, crispy sun chokes, morel cognac sauce
Fennel Spiced Duck Breast with fall squash risotto, plumped cherries, compressed fennel, pepita crumble
Everything Crusted Salmon with roasted brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, compressed fennel, dill, mustard barre blanc
“Chef’s Choice” Gluten Free Vegan Meal (specific dish to be determined)
2024 Dr. Konstantin Frank Reserve Riesling Medium-Sweet, Finger Lakes, New York (11% alc.)
2022 Meyer-Näkel Frühburgunder, Ahr (13% alc.) WE 91
2014 Fitz-Ritter Gewürztraminer Spätlese, Pfalz (9.5% alc.) WE 87
Music
Dessert Course
Chocolate Mousse Cake, with berries, berry coulis
2023 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, Nahe (8.5% alc.) JS 99, VM 97
2021 Karl Erbes Ürziger in der Kranklei Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel (6% alc.) WA 98
The Wines
Bye-bye
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