"Wein-Oktoberfest" of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) at the German Embassy in Washington DC, USA

 

The Oktober Weinfest of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) took place on the evening of Friday, September 15, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm at the Embassy House of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C..

 

Invitation

 

German Wine Society Members and Friends of German Wine,

It is a pleasure to announce that the German Embassy has invited us once again to hold our Oktober Weinfest celebration at the German Embassy House!  And for this event, we will also be introduced to the German Embassy’s new chef, Mikko Kosenen of Mikko Nordic Fine Foods, who also operates a restaurant in Washington, D.C., and was formerly executive chef for the Ambassador of Finland.  Please plan to join us to share our love of German wine, at the German Embassy where the German Wine Society began 46 years ago.  

 

Our “Oktober Weinfest” celebrates the fall harvest season and is being held on the eve of the famed Munich Oktoberfest in Germany., which runs this year from September 16 through October 3. 

 

The Oktober Weinfest will take place on the evening of Friday, September 15, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm at the Embassy House of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., with admission to the Embassy beginning at 6:00 pm.  

 

Our Oktober Weinfest will feature eleven German wines, representing six wine regions and three grapes. All of the white wines featured in the dinner are from the 2021 vintage, but differ from the 2021 wine in our New Vintages tasting earlier this year, completing the picture of this excellent vintage.  We will begin with a sekt reception on the patio (weather permitting) and followed by a multi-course seated buffet dinner inside the Embassy House.  

 

We anticipate being joined by members of the German Embassy staff. Please take the opportunity to mingle with them and share your interests in German wines and Germany!

 

The price for this event will be $108 for members, and $118 for non-members.  There will be a 60-person limit on attendance at this event, including Embassy guests, so reserve soon to avoid disappointment.

Report by President Carl Willner

On the evening of September 15, 2023, from 6 pm until about 9:30 pm, the German Wine Society’s Capital Chapter held its largest event of the year to date, our Oktober Weinfest at the German Embassy House. The weather cooperated wonderfully, and we were able to enjoy the outdoor patio for an hour before moving inside for our buffet dinner.

 

Welcoming remarks were delivered by Embassy staff Astrid Jakobs de Padua (Minister Counselor for Food and Agriculture) and Dorothee Schneider (Minister Counselor for Economics and Trade), who both joined us for the dinner, as well as by myself as Chapter President. All members of the Chapter Board were able to attend, apart from Karen Stokes who was away on vacation.  

 

We had 64 people registered for the event, and all were able to come (one person who withdrew before the event and got a refund was replaced by another on the wait list).  These included 36 members, 25 non-members, and our 3 Embassy guests.

Chef Mikko Kosonen organized an ample and delicious repast for us including three hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner with a wide variety of choices (fish, sausages, chicken, salads, and breads), and three choices of desserts.  

 

Everyone appeared to enjoy both the quality and quantity of the food, overseen by Chef Mikko’s assistant Chef Jason Garcia and a capable wait staff of four, who ensured that the welcoming sparkling wine, and five flights of two wines each during dinner (paired red, trocken white, Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese), were served in proper order and the right quantities. 

 

All the wines came from MacArthur Beverages, and alll the whites chosen for the dinner were of the 2021 vintage, though none of those had been served at Phil Bernstein’s 2021 New Vintage presentation earlier this year.  For those who came to both events this year, we have provided a quite extensive picture of the 2021 vintage, at least with respect to Rieslings.  

 

Guests all appeared to be enjoying themselves, and I heard many favorable comments, with conversations continuing at most tables even after all the food and wine was served.  We had used assigned seating to ensure that friends could all sit together without a rush for tables, and gave guests the opportunity to express their seating preferences in advance, all of which were honored.  

 

Of note, we had five friends who were all part of a Wine Explorers group on Meetup who joined us for this event, most for the first time.  We had more Meetup signups for this event than I had ever seen before, and all of them were sent reminders about registering through our website too.  

 

Opening of the Oktoberfest 2023 in Munich

"Wein-Oktoberfest" of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) at the German Embassy in Washington DC, USA, 2023

 

Arriving

 

Sekt Reception

Gravlax with House Pickled Cucumber/Bavarian Mustard Sauce

Beetroot Hummus on Seed Bread with Pickled Beets (GF)

Grilled Chicken Skewers with Spinach Sauce

Nv Dr. Loosen Sparkling Riesling Dr. L Mosel

 

Welcome Speeches

 

Seated Dinner

Dinner buffet:

Assortment of Sausages/Bratwurst, Currywurst, Austrian Mini Sausages/Mustard, Sauerkraut 

Herb Crusted Salmon with Small Dill Potatoes, Herb Sauce

Mini Chicken Schnitzels with Lemon-Caper Butter

Assortment of Herring, in Wine sauce, Matjes, Mustard/Egg Salad

German Style Potato Salad

Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Kale Caesar Salad

Roasted Honey-Thyme Vegetables

Pretzels with Cheese-Beer Dip

Assortment of Bread/Whipped Butter

 

These dishes were served with four flights of wines.

 

Dessert buffet:

 

Lingonberry Bread Pudding

Apple Tart

Chocolate Pannacotta

 

  These dishes were served with a flight of two sweet wines.

The Wines

        Red Wines
  2019 Rebholz Spätburgunder Pfalz 
  2018 Meyer-Näkel Blue Slate Spätburgunder Ahr

  Trocken (Dry) White Wines 
  2021 Max Müller Volkach Silvaner Trocken Franken (in Bocksbeutel)
2021 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken Nahe

  Kabinett White Wines
  2021 Hermann Ludes Thornitcher Ritsch “Monster” Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Mosel 
  2021 Thanisch Erben Thanisch Dr. H Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett Mosel 

  Spätlese White Wines
  2021 Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen 303 Riesling Spätlese Rheingau 
  2021 Willi Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Mosel 

 

        Auslese White Wines

  2021 Karl Erbes Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese Gold Cap Mosel (1/2 bottle) 

        2021 J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Mosel (1/2 bottle)

 

Thank you Chef Jason Garcia

 

Bye-bye

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