Luxembourg Wine Tasting at Luxembourg Embassy

Mark your calendars!

We have been invited to an exciting opportunity to enjoy the wines of the “other Mosel,” the Moselle River in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, at the beautiful setting of the Embassy of Luxembourg on March 18, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.   The price for the evening’s tasting is $25 per participant.  This  amount will form our charitable donation, as requested by the Embassy in lieu of an event charge.

The deadline to submit reservations for this event is March 14, 2011.  The Embassy of Luxembourg is able to accommodate a maximum of 40 guests.  As this event is expected to be quite popular, please send your check promptly with your reservation.  Also, please bring identification for admission to the Embassy.

About Luxembourg Winemaking:

Luxembourg has a 2000-year history of wine-making, but its wine production is not large and  exports are mainly to Belgium and Germany, so this tasting affords a unique chance to try a variety of wines from Luxembourg in the United States.  In addition to sharing a great wine-producing region with Germany (Luxembourg’s vineyards in the Moselle valley adjoin Germany’s Upper Mosel), most of the grapes grown in Luxembourg are also found in Germany, including the noble Riesling, Pinot Gris (Ruländer), Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder), Gewürztraminer, Auxerrois, Mueller-Thurgau, and Elbling.   However, most of the wines of Luxembourg are drier than those produced in Germany, and the classification system varies considerably from the one familiar to German wine-lovers, so this should be a very interesting experience in learning about the different ways that one of Germany’s neighbors can produce fine wines using the same grapes and river valley as our familiar German Mosel wines.   The Ambassador of Luxembourg, Jean-Paul Senninger, who is from Luxembourg’s wine-growing region, will present the wines personally, and there will also be a presentation on wine-making in Luxembourg.

About the Evening:

The four principal types of wines that will be available come from one of Luxembourg’s largest producers, Bernard-Massard, and its Clos des Rochers estate.  These include Clos des Rochers Riesling, Clos des Rochers Pinot Gris, and Clos des Rochers Auxerrois, as well as a Bernard-Massard Cuvee de l’Ecusson Cremant, Luxembourg’s well-known sparkling wine.  In addition, the Embassy plans to offer some wines for tasting from its private stock, produced by the State-owned wine institute’s own vineyards and not available for sale to the general public, likely including a Gewürztraminer.  Through the evening, the Embassy will be serving light refreshments artfully prepared by its chef.