Comparing the Rieslings of Austria, Germany and Alsace: Tasting at the German Wine Society - Washington DC led by Annette Schiller Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours

We had four flights with 3 wines each flight and 2 bottles per wine. 42 people attended.

Inviation

Comparative Riesling Tasting: Germany, Austria, Alsace

Please plan to join the German Wine Society on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 7:00 pm for a presentation on the Riesling grape in Germany, Austria and Alsace, and tasting of nine wines to illustrate the varieties of Riesling in these countries, by our own Annette Schiller. Registrations for this event are due by Tuesday, March 25, 2025, and the price is $45 for GWS members, $52 for non-members. Please be aware that, due to limited supply of the wines and size of the venue, we have a maximum cap of 40 for attendance at this event. Reserve early to avoid disappointment!

One of the world’s most celebrated grape varieties is Riesling. The Riesling is a perfect translator of the soils where it grows. This transparency of terroir means that Rieslings grown in different regions will produce wines with a markedly individual characteristic and distinct taste profile. The three countries whose Rieslings we will compare are all at the heart of Riesling cultivation in Europe. Germany is the homeland of Riesling, while Austria and Alsace are the two other major European Riesling producing regions. Indeed, Germany has been known in the U.S. mostly for its delicious Rieslings. Riesling is the #1 grape produced in Germany and Germany is also the #1 producer of Riesling world-wide (40% of the global Riesling production is in Germany). But Austria and Alsace, while known for other varietals too, both produce outstanding Rieslings as well, with unique reflections of their own terroir.

All wines have been acquired from top-notch wine makers and each flight will be a comparison within the same quality level to be fair to each wine. There will be four flights of three wines each, one from each country, progressing from sparkling wines to the estate level to village level to single vineyard wines.

Flight 1: Sparkling wines

1) 2022 Sekt, Riesling Reserve, Brut, Weingut Steininger, Kamptal, Austria

2) 2022 Sekt, Riesling, Brut, Weingut Braunewell, Rheinhessen, Germany

3) NV, Crémant d’Alsace, Riesling, Brut, Domaine Fey-Sohler, Alsace

Flight 2: Estate wines

4) 2021 Riesling, Weingut Steininger, Kamptal, Austria

5) 2021 Riesling, Pur Mineral, Weingut Rudolf Fürst, Franken, Germany

6) 2021 Riesling, Maison Trimbach, Alsace

Flight 3: Village level wines

7) 2022 Riesling, Furth, Weingut Müller-Grossmann, Kremstal, Austria

8) 2023 Riesling, Birkweiler, Weingut Rebholz, Pfalz, Germany

9) 2022 Riesling, Berg, Domaine Melanie Pfister, Alsace

Flight 4: Single vineyard Grand Cru wines

10) 2022 Riesling Ried Steinertal, Weingut Tegernseerhof, Wachau, Austria

11) 2018 Riesling Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen, Grand Cru, Weingut Balthasar Ress,

Rheingau, Germany

12) 2021 Riesling, Grand Cru Schlossberg, Domaine Weinbach, Alsace

It will be fun to discuss the wines during the tasting and it will be very interesting to hear the verdict of the audience on the favorites

A tasty buffet of cheeses, bread, crackers, charcuterie, grapes and veggies will be provided to accompany the wines. ...

Report by President Carl Willner

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, just as the cherry blossoms of Washington, DC were reaching peak bloom, the German Wine Society’s Capital Chapter gathered for a presentation by our own Annette Schiller comparing the Rieslings of Austria, Germany and Alsace. We enjoyed 12 selected wines in four flights of three each, one representing each country, from sparkling wines to basic estate level, through village level and then Grand Cru single estate. Participants had the chance to vote on their favorites in each flight. The event commenced shortly after the scheduled start time of 7 pm, allowing as many guests as possible to arrive through the difficult cherry blossom traffic, and we were finished and out of the venue by about 10 pm. Though a few guests arrived after the start of the event, no one who was signed up missed it. We had 40 people registered, the maximum planned for the event, and 41 actually participated, with a walk-in guest who knew the Schillers from other events (since we had kept one extra place, we allowed him in with payment by check). Almost all of the board members of the Chapter were present, and all those who were had a hand in the event. Christian brought the wine glasses and wines with Annette and supervised the pouring, I brought the spit cups, carafes and speaker and was first to arrive with Nina and begin the set up with Klaus, who of course furnished the club room in his Van Ness apartment building, and Karen brought the food, while Ken had his checkbook on hand and ensured that everyone was reimbursed at the end. Of our 41 guests, 27 were members, and 14 non-members....

Although Germany is the home of Riesling, its French Alsatian competitors prevailed twice while Austria did once, with Germany only coming out on top in participants’ votes in one of the four categories, the sparkling wine. Germany, watch out! Price was sometimes but not consistently a measure of quality ratings by participants. In the final Grand Cru category, the prices did align with ratings, the Alsatian wine leading followed by the German, and then the Austrian. But at the village wine level, the middle-priced Alsatian wine prevailed over the more expensive German one even though the German choice was by one of the top German winemakers, Rebholz. And in the estate wine group, the least expensive wine of the three, the Austrian, came in first!

This was a very successful event for us from all perspectives - enjoyment of the wines, education about them, and financial return for the chapter. Once again, the Schillers have provided the Capital Chapter with a first-rate event, and Annette’s very impressive knowledge of the wines and producers was once again shared with all. Thanks are also due to our volunteer pourers, Anthony Ramdass, Klaus Teuter, and Brian Pinci, who had to ensure that all 41 participants got their wines in a timely way working from just two bottles of each of the wines.

We now look forward to our next events, New Vintage at King Farm on May 16, and Spargelfest at the German Embassy on June 13!

Carl Willner

President and Secretary

German Wine Society Capital Chapter

March 30, 2025

Tasting