586th Birthday Celebration of Riesling Zoom Event, March 13th, 2021

For lovers of German wine, the Riesling grape is commonly one of our favorites, and frequently the top choice.  Versatile Riesling yields both wonderful high-prädikat sweet wines, among the best in the world, and high-quality dry wines as well.  It is the most widely grown grape in about half of Germany’s wine regions.  If you are wondering what the 586^th birthday means, please know that in March 2019 the Wines of Germany announced that from that day forward the official birthday of Riesling would be celebrated on March 13, 1435. Why that day? An invoice with that date was found in a cellar invoice in Russelsheim and refers to a variety called Riesslingen (the spelling at the time), which marked the first written documentation of the Riesling grape.

Due to the pandemic, celebrations of the birthday are for the most part put on hold. BUT not for the German Wine Society’s Capital Chapter.  We will hold an online Zoom celebration together on Saturday, March 13, 2021, from 5 pm to 7 pm, and party in our own homes…where you are guaranteed to enjoy the wines and foods on the menu.   Choose your favorite Rieslings from your own collection or local wine store, along with cheeses, breads, crackers, sweets and any other desired dishes, and be ready to discuss your choices!  

Please make reservations by Wednesday, March 10, using either our chapter website (https://germanwinesocietydc.org) and PayPal for payment if you owe dues or are a non-member, or by completing and sending in the attached form, enclosing a check if payment is required.   This event is free for GWS members in good standing (that is, current in $35 annual dues payments per individual or couple), but members still need to register so that we can have an accurate count of who is coming and can send the Zoom link to everyone signed up.   For any non-members who wish to attend, this event is modestly priced at $10 per Zoom connection (so that an individual or couple can register at the same price), payable online on our website using PayPal or by check, to help cover our Zoom expenses.  You will need to have access to Zoom to participate in our Riesling party, either downloaded on your computer or otherwise available through your browser.   Everyone who provides timely notification of their intent to come (by registering on the website or returning the form) will receive a Zoom link from board member Karen Stokes, the organizer for this event, by email prior to the event, which can be used to log in at the start time.

Will we have party guests? Yes, of course. We have invited a few people to Zoom with us:

Brent Kroll is Proprietor and Sommelier of Maxwell Park in Washington, DC.  Brent was named a 2018 Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year and he has been featured in Wine & Spirits, Wine Enthusiast, & Wine Spectator to name just a few magazines. Maxwell Park is a great wine bar with locations on 9^th Street in DC and in the Navy Yard. If you have not checked out their website, you should do that just to see the incredible bottle list of German wines that are enjoyed with their food menu. Brent can certainly talk to us about the why Rieslings pair so well with food.

Valerie Kathawala is a writer and editor specializing in the wines of Germany, Austria, northern Italy, and German Switzerland.  She is a fan of “umlaut wines” and has joined the Wine Scholar Guild as an educator on German wines. Also check out Trink Magazine where she is co-founder and co-editor.

Phil Bernstein, our longtime friend from MacArthur Beverage, will tease us a little with the New Vintages event from last year which had to be postponed to 2021 (fingers crossed). And he will give us a look ahead to the 2021 New Vintage wines which we also hope to schedule, in person, this year.

Are there more surprises? Maybe? Just be sure to sign up for our March event.

Party attire is welcomed.  Birthday cake with lighted candles is optional.​

All correspondence in response to this email should be directed to our President and Secretary, Carl Willner, by email to carl.willner1@verizon.net, or by mail at:

Carl Willner

1014 Reserve Champion Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

If you are attending as a non-member or owe dues and need to make a payment online, please be sure to have a PayPal account in advance, as we cannot accept payment by other forms of credit.  If you decide to register by mail, please mail your registration to the Chapter Secretary at the above address, and make out any check to the German Wine Society.

All GWS members are reminded that alcohol consumption can lead to intoxication.  Therefore, Society members and their guests are expected to drink in moderation at Society events.   Fortunately, one of the benefits of holding an online event is that most of you will be safely at home and not driving to the event, but should you decide to visit a friend in order to participate from there, please bear in mind the usual cautions about having a designated driver where available, or mostly tasting rather than consuming alcohol where such drivers are not available.  Drinking in moderation will also help to avoid any mishaps using your computer!

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