Saturday, May 16, 2026

A Six-Wine Dolomite Flight with Alexandra Erlacher from Kellerei Andrian in Alto Adige at Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Virginia, USA (May 2026)



   

   


Great tasting of
Alto Adige wines from Kellerei Andrian - Cantina Andriano, the oldest co-op of Alto Adige, with Alexandra Erlacher from Bolzano at Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean Virginia.

Alexandra is on a 2-week tour in the USA. In September, we will visit her at Cantina Andrian during a 8-day Alto Adige Tour by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller. There are only 2 rooms left, a double room and a single-room (at the marvelous Art Deco Grand Hotel Parkhotel Laurin in the center of Bolzano). 

Contact Annette for further information. See: Announcement: Small Group (12 people) Wine Tours to Europe (Italy and Germany) this Year (2026) by ombiasy WineTours with Annette Schiller https://schiller-wine.blogspot.com/2026/01/announcement-small-group-12-people-wine.html

A Six-Wine Dolomite Flight with Kellerei Andrian

Tuesday, May 12, 5:00, 5:45, and 6:30 pm

Then, on Tuesday, May 12, come soar to the heights of Italy's Dolomite Mountains with us and special guest Alexandra Erlacher of Kellerei Andrian. Your flight will featured wines you might expect from Alto Adige - Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Lagrein - and stunning surprises like beautiful Chardonnay, serious Lagrein Riserva and sweet Gewürztraminer Passito. All with captivating in-flight commentary from Alexandra!

Kelleri Andrian is one of Alto Adige's oldest cooperative wineries, founded in the late 1800s by the men and women who grew grapes along the floor and up the sides of the valley running from Bolzano towards Merano. Unlike Terlano, just across the same valley, the vines here are on warmer, sunnier, sites that give more ripeness to whites and make for deliciously rich reds. Alexandra will share the winery history and story along with the six wines.

The tasting is free – just RSVP for one of the three 45 minute sessions and sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight.

See the details and reserve your spots here.

As usual, when you come to CBC, you get to discover a big range of wines that are perfect for the most important palate of all: yours!

See you today, 3-7pm, Saturday, noon-4pm, and on Tuesday with Kelleri Andrian!

Doug House CBC Wine 'A Win in Every Bottle'

Cantina Andrian (Google AI) 

The wines of Cantina Andrian (Kellerei Andrian) are made at Cantina Terlan (Kellerei Terlan). 

The two historic South Tyrolean cooperative wineries entered into a strategic alliance and merged operations. 

Key Details of the Partnership

The Merger: In 2008, Cantina Andrian merged with Cantina Terlan. Grape reception and vinification for both estates were moved under one roof at the Terlan facility.

Shared Winemaker: Both brands are oversaw by Terlan's highly respected head winemaker, Rudi Kofler.

Strict Separation: Though processed at the same physical facility, the production lines are kept strictly separate. This ensures that each winery retains its unique, historical identity and style.

Different Terroirs: The grapes are still harvested from their respective sides of the Adige river valley. Terlan’s vineyards are characterized by volcanic red porphyry soils, while Andrian's vineyards sit on limestone and dolomite soils. This distinct soil difference allows Andrian wines to maintain a softer, fleshier style compared to Terlan's high-acid, mineral-driven profiles. 













Announcement: Small Group (12 people) Wine Tours to Europe (Italy and Germany) this Year (2026) by ombiasy WineTours with Annette Schiller


Dear wine lovers,

In many parts of the US it snows right now. I would like to brighten your snow days by telling you where and when you could explore gorgeous wine regions later in the year.  I have planned 3 fantastic wine tours for 2026. These provide for great dreams of sunny, warm days, a swimming pool, and great wines to sip (ok, the wine you can also sip right now hunkering down in front of a fire place).

Tuscany: 11 days, 10 nights - Monday, June 08 - Thursday, June 18, 2026

Few regions evoke such a feeling of longing as Tuscany. And indeed, this region is unique with its blend of history, incredible scenic beauty, magnificent wines, outstanding food and its "Dolce Vita".Tuscany is located in Central Italy very roughly between Bologna and Rome and borders the Tyrrhenian Sea to the West with Florence as its most prestigious city and Siena, the historic Etruscan city. Tuscany is an absolutely beautiful landscape of rolling hills and incredible views. Most vineyards -except for the vineyards of Bolgheri and Maremma - are on relatively steep and abrupt hillsides. The hilly Tuscan vineyards are usually interspersed with olive groves, and forests. Most wine estates are fairly distant from the main roads and only accessible by winding dirt roads littered with potholes.

We will do winery visits and thorough tastings at top wine estates in the Chianti, Chianti Classico, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Bolgheri, and Maremma appellations. 

The tour starts and ends in Florence. I booked accommodation in beautiful places: the first 4 nights we stay at a winery / hotel / restaurant in Panzano-Greve in the Chianti Classico appellation, the following 4 nights we also stay at a wine estate with accommodation and an on-site restaurant just south of the town of Montalcino, and the last 2 nights we can relax in a beautiful 5-star spa-beach-resort at the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Bolgheri region. 

Germany Classic: 12 days, 11 nights - Sunday, June 28 - Thursday, July 09, 2026

We will fully experience authentic Germany. We travel along the main Riesling wine arteries of Germany: the Rhine river, the Mosel river, and the Nahe river. We travel east of Frankfurt along the Main river to Bürgstadt to explore where phenomenal Silvaner and Pinot Noir wines are produced and will visit the Ahr wine region where Pinot Noir always was the main grape variety. On this tour we discover 7 of the 13 German wine regions: Franken, Rheinhessen, Rheingau, Mittelrhein, Ahr, Mosel, Nahe.

Roman, medieval, and modern history accompany us all the way and will help us to understand what German wine is all about. The beauty of the landscape, the steep vineyards, the romantic Rhein valley, the quaint villages, the stories behind the wineries and their families, and the gorgeous wines we will taste at world-renowned wine estates will give us a renewed understanding of German wines. Of course we also do a cruise on the Rhine river to experience the “German Rhine Romantic”. 

The tour starts and ends in Frankfurt am Main. Accommodation will be in excellent 4+5 star hotels - all with air condition, which might come in handy during our summer travel time. However Germany never gets really, really hot and humid; it is a northern region with a moderate continental climate. 

Trentino - Alto Adige: 8 days, 7 nights - Sunday, September 06 - Sunday, September 13, 2026

Being the northernmost wine region of Italy, Trentino -Alto Adige is a very special place where Italian and German traditions merge. It is a fascinating and unique region in the Alpes. It boasts of an extraordinary variety of landscapes: snow-capped mountains in the Dolomites, fertile valleys, streams, century-old breathtakingly beautiful towns true to their hybrid Germanic-Italian culture

During this wine tour we travel through 3 main valleys carved out by the rivers Adige (Etsch) and Isarco (Eisack). These valleys form a Y since in Bozen, the capital of the Alto Adige region, the Isarco joins the Adige. From Bozen we follow the Adige river further south and spend a day in Verona the city much beloved by Shakespeare who set more than just one play in this northern Italian town. We will use this opportunity to also visit some wineries where we taste the unique, delicious Amarone.

As the climate gets warmer cool-climate winemaking has captured the interest of both sides of the wine business: the industry and the consumer. The focus shifts more and more to higher altitude, cooler climate regions such as Trentino-Alto Adige in search of elegant, moderate alcohol wines.

This tour starts and ends in Bozen. During this tour we do not change hotels. I booked 7 nights at the famous, beautiful 5-star Art-Nouveau style Parkhotel Laurin in Bozen.

Please browse the website: https://ombiasypr.com/index.php    Here you find all information how to sign up for securing your spot for the tours. The registration pages are online!

COSY UP WITH A GOOD WINE AND WATCH THE WORLD TURN WHITE.

CHEERS ANNETTE

WINE EDUCATION ///  WINE TOURS
Annette Schiller, Diplom-Volkswirt
Professional Member and Wine Educator 
American Wine Society AWS
German Wine Society, Capital Chapter
ombiasy PR, LLC
Washington DC - Frankfurt am Main
T: +1 (703) 459.7513
T: + 49 (0) 177.337.0281
aschiller@ombiasypr.com
web: ombiasypr.com
blog: schiller-wine.blogspot.com

Alto Adige in the Summer of 2025

From June 16 to July 3, 2025, Annette and I spent time in wine country Italy, including Alto Adige, by car. For an overview, go to:  Wine Country Italy - Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige - in the Summer of 2025. Here are a few pictures from Alto Adige.











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Toma by Lisa: Our Go-to Wine Bar in Bolzano, Alto Adige - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, May 15, 2026

Invitation: 5 Sundowner Wines at the Washington Wine and Cheese Seminar/ American Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, with Annette Schiller (ombiasy WineTours)

Pictures: Sundowner in the Caribbean. See: From Marigot Bay in St. Lucia to Saint-Pierre in Martinique - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)  

Dear wine friends,

I invite you to join me next Tuesday, May 19th at 7.45 pm when we taste some delicious summer wines.

On our very first trip to South Africa I learned about the “sundowner” tradition: After a drive through the bush you stop, put a nice tablecloth on the hood of your car, get some nice wine glasses and a cooler out of the trunk and a delicious wine. You sit, sip and watch the day go by and the evening coming. 

Coming home we started to continue this tradition - not every day when it is too busy and when there are a zillion things to do - but occasionally we sit on our front porch or on our deck in the back yard and celebrate a sundowner.

The days are getting longer and the evenings are getting warmer. The idea of a sundowner becomes more appealing. I chose 5 excellent wines:

3 Whites:
2023 Chardonnay, Pouilly-Fuissé, Domaine Sangouard- Guyot, Burgundy
2025 Sauvignon Blanc / Semillion, Château du Clos du Prévot, Bordeaux
2024 Riesling, Weingut Balthasar Ress, Rheingau, Germany

1 Rosé:
2025 Rosé, Vallée des Pins, Vignobles Foncalieu, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence

1 lighter Red in case you crave a steak and you start to put on the grill:
2024 Schiava, Kellerei Kaltern, Alto Adige

As usual we will have two cheeses and baguette from Calvert & Woodley. This is a 30 $ tasting.

Looking forward to have a sundowner with you next Tuesday.
Annette

Washington Wine & Cheese Seminar, American Wine Society DC Chapter

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WHERE & WHEN WE MEET: The Seminar meets at 7:45 PM every Tuesday (except for July, August and the weeks of December 25th and January 1st) at St. Patricks Episcopal Church at 4700 Whitehaven Pky, between Foxhall Road and MacArthur Blvd. 

No reservations are required.

SNOW DAYS: Classes may be cancelled due to inclement weather based on the decision of St. Patricks Church and Day School. Cancellations will be announced in the Mailing List as soon as St. Patricks make the decision. 

schiller-wine: Related Postings 
Announcement: Small Group (12 people) Wine Tours to Europe (Italy and Germany) this Year (2026) by ombiasy WineTours with Annette Schiller  
 
Overview: Rhône Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings 

Summary of Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller: Wine, Food, History, Culture 

Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Summary: From Lyon to Paris - Total Immersion in Burgundy and Champagne 2023 by ombiasy WineTours (July 02 - 13, 2023)

Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023 

Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List

The 2025 American Wine Society National Conference in Chantilly/ Virginia/ USA, with Annette and Christian Schiller: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens

2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA 

Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France

Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller

The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Tasting at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), presented by Annette Schiller

schiller-wine Blog of Christian Schiller Top Washington DC Alcohol Blog (December, 2024)

2024 Annual Meeting of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, a 45 Years Old Wine Brotherhood in the Famous Wine Village Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany, with Annette Schiller, Founding Member, and Christian Schiller

Masterclass - The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference March 2024 

Dinner at JAN in Munich, Germany, with Jan Hartwig, one of the ten German 3-star Michelin Chefs (September 2024) 


2025 Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner in New York City, Sky Loft, 32nd Floor of 50 Hudson Yard, with 15 #worldclass Winemakers from Germany + Austria and Estimated 300 Wines, many 20, 30, 40 Years old, many Larger Format and almost all Ultra-premium 

 

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Apero, Dinner, After-dinner Drink on the "Wanderlust" - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)

 
 
During the trip, we went out for dinner to a restaurant in St. Lucia or Martinique a couple of times. Most of the time, however, we had dinner on the boat. 5 of these dinners stood out. 

Chris, Cornalia, Viatrix and Ernst Tremann: We're a German/American family from Munich who decided to ditch the rat race and sail the Caribbean. Join us as we explore on our catamaran "Wanderlust!" 
 
Annette and I took up the invitation and joined them for 2 1/2 weeks, from Marigot Bay in St. Lucia to Saint-Pierre in Martinique. They were already beyond the mid of their trip and on their way back to the home port of Wanderlust, in the British Virgin Island. 
 
During our trip, I posted regularly on facebook about our wonderful experience. This posting on schiller-wine blog puts all the individual facebook postings in one place: From Marigot Bay in St. Lucia to Saint-Pierre in Martinique - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)  

I, Annette, so much enjoyed this boat tour. I always felt very much home in the water: I love the seas, bobbing waves, swimming, tropical weather, raw nature, and this boat tour provided all of this. Living on a sailboat makes you aware of how much humanity depends on nature, and how small we are in this universe. You cannot sail without wind, you cannot live without fresh water, you cannot see without light, you cannot cook without some source of energy. Being together with our daughter, son-in-law, and two grandkids age ten and eleven in this relatively confined space was such a joy and taught me once again that teamwork and respect for one another are the most important skills for living in harmony and to overcome daily challenges. I felt honored to be part of this close-nit, adorable family for a delicious moment.

Many times, we had dinner on the boat. 5 of these dinners stood out.
 
First, dinner with our grandchildren Ernst and Viatrix on the Wanderlust while their parents Cornelia Schiller Tremann and Chris Tremann are out for a date night dinner. 
 
Second, apero and dinner on the boat. For the apero we tried a cider from Normandy. Dinner was German style - cold cuts and cheese, but all from France. All bought at the E.Leclerc supermarket in Fort de France a couple of days ago. Among others, we had a Jambon de Bayonne and a Roquefort from Papillon, difficult to find outside of France.  
 
Third,  after watching the sunset with a glass of Rose de Gascogne we had another lovely dinner on the boat, this time barbecue with a nice Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny.
 
Fourth, Happy Hour with saucisson sec, a wonderful sunset and dinner on the boat. Dinner was again German-style cold cuts and cheese, but all from France. As blue cheese, we had a Bleu de Causse The rouge was a @Vinsobres, a cru from the Côtes du Rhône Weine.
 
Fifth, apero (Cidre de Bretagne Brut); perfect sunset; barbecue dinner (potato gratin and grilled red snapper with an IGP @Cotes de Thau). 
 
April 13
 
Dinner with our grandchildren Ernst and Viatrix on the Wanderlust while their parents Cornelia Schiller Tremann and Chris Tremann are out for a date night dinner. 
 


 
April 16
 
Apero and dinner on the boat. For the apero we tried a cider from Normandy. Dinner was German style - cold cuts and cheese, but all from France. All bought at the E.Leclerc supermarket in Fort de France a couple of days ago. Among others, we had a Jambon de Bayonne and a Roquefort from Papillon, difficult to find outside of France. The day ended on the rooftop of Wanderlust. 
 




 
April 18
 
After watching the sunset with a glass of Rose de Gascogne we had another lovely dinner on the boat, this time barbecue with a nice Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny.
 







April 19 
 
Happy Hour with saucisson sec, a wonderful sunset and dinner on the boat. Dinner was again German-style cold cuts and cheese, but all from France. As blue cheese, we had a Bleu de Causse The rouge was a @Vinsobres, a cru from the Côtes du Rhône Weine.
 














 
April 20
 
Second trip
 
 
 
Apero (Cidre de Bretagne Brut); perfect sunset; barbecue dinner (potato gratin and grilled red snapper with an IGP @Cotes de Thau).
 














From Marigot Bay in St. Lucia to Saint-Pierre in Martinique - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)

See: From Marigot Bay in St. Lucia to Saint-Pierre in Martinique - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)











  
  




Related Postings on schiller-wine:
  
From Marigot Bay in St. Lucia to Saint-Pierre in Martinique - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)
 
Bison Steak Tartare from Canada with a Madiran Rouge from France at Gaspar Brasserie Française in Montreal, Canada, the Largest City in America, where French is the Primary Language (April 2026)

Apero at Chateau Mygo and Dinner at Doolittle's Restaurant and Bar, Marigot Beach Club and Dive Resort, Marigot Bay, St. Lucia - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)  
 
Apero at Chateau Mygo and Dinner at JJ's Mangrove Dockside, Marigot Bay, St. Lucia - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)

"Plateau du Pêcheur" and "Vin Blanc en Pichet" at Restaurant La Marine in Les Trois Îlets, Martinique - Amazing 2 1/2 Weeks on the Catamaran Sailboat "Wanderlust" in the Caribbean, with Chris, Cornelia, Viatrix and Ernst (April 2026)