Membership Meeting 2017

Dear Members and Friends of the German Wine Society,

Prosit Neujahr! You are cordially invited to attend this year’s membership meeting on Friday, February 10th, 2017. The doors will open at 7:00 and we begin discussing business (of course mixed with a little fun) promptly at 7:30 pm. We will sample a wide variety of wines from our cellar and also have our traditional quiz game and cheeses and bread. There will be a discussion of our finances, membership and cellar status, followed by an open discussion of plans for the future. What would you like to have the society do – what are your expectations? The Board needs to know!

It is at this annual meeting we elect new officers. A ballot is attached, along with the biographies of candidates seeking re-election. Nominations of other candidates must be received by February 5th, 2017.  Please consider giving back to the Chapter by serving on the board or by volunteering to plan a monthly tasting. Your active participation in planning and managing events help the organization grow – and to do so in the direction you choose. Members can vote in person at the meeting, or by returning their written ballots by February 5th, 2017.

All correspondence in response to this email should be directed to our Secretary, Mike Fritze by email at m_fritze@yahoo.com or by mail at 40817 Browns Lane, Waterford, VA 20197.

For this event we are returning to the Van Ness Room at 3001 Veazey Terrace NW, Washington, DC  20008. Metro is very accessible from the Van Ness stop on the Red Line. Members pay nothing for this tasting (but still need to register via our website or mail); non-members pay $15 each.

Please make reservations by February 5th so we know how much wine to bring and cheese to buy. You can register for events on our website and make payment by PayPal if necessary. You will need to set up a GWS account on our website to register, and also have a PayPal account ready to use for payment if applicable. If you wish to confirm via mail please send it to our Secretary Mike Fritze at the address listed above. If you send a check, please make it to the German Wine Society.

All GWS members and guests are reminded that alcohol consumption can lead to intoxication. Therefore Society members and their guests are expected to drink in moderation at Society events. It is advisable to provide designated drivers where available or mostly to taste rather than consume alcohol when such drivers are not available.
Event organizer: Kevin Ross, 570-561-6540, keviross@gmail.com

Register for this Event






Candidate Statements 2017

Candidate Statement of Carl Willner (for Chapter President)

Carl has been a member of the German Wine Society for over 20 years and a member of the board for five years, having previously served as a director and as Chapter Vice President before being elected Chapter President in the spring of 2015.   During the past six years, he has been responsible for planning numerous GWS events:  the tastings at the Embassy of Luxembourg in March 2011, October 2013, and April 2016, the Spargelfest dinners at Café Mozart in May 2013, 2014, and 2016, and at the German Embassy in May 2015, the Mosel/Moselle themed Oktoberfest in October 2014, the Oktober Weinfest tours of German wine regions at the German Embassy in September 2015 and 2016, and the Richard Böcking winemaker event in November 2015.   He has also helped conduct several other events including membership meetings and two Oktoberfests, and was in charge of updating our by-laws in 2013.  German wines have long been a part of Carl’s life – his grandparents from Bavaria ran a German restaurant in upstate New York – so the German Wine Society naturally became a part of his life in Washington.  

During his two years as President, Carl has overseen our return to the German Embassy for events, the development of our new website and introduction of the ability to register for events electronically using Paypal, and outreach to new members, which has led to our chapter membership more than doubling, the first major increases in recent years.   He looks forward to continuing to lead our chapter into the future, with the goal of several interesting and educational events each year, maintaining good relationships with the German and other embassies, and a continued wine cellar on a modest scale with a more focused acquisition strategy including high-quality wines.   During the coming year, Carl would like to lead our chapter in hosting the 40^th Anniversary celebration of the German Wine Society, the first national GWS event in a decade.  He will also work to ensure that the German Wine Society remains accountable and responsive to the interests of its members.

Candidate Statement of Christian Schiller (for Vice president)

A member of the German Wine Society since he came to the USA in 1983 and a member of the Board since 2010. He has a broad background in international finance and economics. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Mainz, Germany. Before his retirement in 2010, he worked for almost 30 years at the International Monetary Fund. With his retirement, he started to write about wine and was accepted by the International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers. His main outlet for his writing is his daily wine blog “schiller-wine,” but he has also published in “Falstaff,” “Weinfeder” and other journals. Many of his publications are on German wine. He has organized many interesting wine events and plans to continue to do so.

Candidate Statement of Joseph Aguiar:  (for Secretary)

I became a member of the German Wine Society in September 2015 and joined the board in February 2016. In my first year, I planned the “Rieslings of the World” tasting in June, co-organized the November 2016 Riesling tasting with Weygandt Wines, and selected the wine list for the 2016 Holiday Party. I believe that German wine is not just of exceptionally high quality: it has a global footprint and inspires wine makers from Keuka, NY to Eden Valley, Australia to strive to bring the great German varietals to their own homes. German wine for me is the perfect blend of serious quality, great value, terroir, and fascinating story-telling.

I completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level III examination in April 2016 and am currently preparing for the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Certified Sommelier exam. When I began to study wine intensely, the Mosel River Valley was and continues to be one of the world’s most fascinating wine regions for me. The steep slopes, dark soils, and moderating effects of the river combine to make it a viticulture marvel. Riesling achieves greatness there, and, as a native New Yorker, I have come to appreciate the Finger Lakes’ Rieslings as a tip of the hat to the grape’s ancestral home in Germany. Please consider me for election to the position of Secretary, GWS – Capital Chapter.

Candidate Statement of Mike Fritze:  (for Board Member)

Mike Fritze developed his interest in German wines growing up in a German-American family in N.J.

He developed a passion for wine during his work-related travels through the U.S. and Europe where he took the time to visit local vineyards and wineries.  Mike recently completed his second year of a 3-year AWS wine judge certification class.   He is also an avid home winemaker focusing mainly on VA fruit which can be locally sourced.   He has been a member of the German Wine society for nearly 10 years recently taking on a Board level position as Secretary where he is responsible for tracking membership records, event signups, and overall event planning with the rest of the board.  He will be stepping down from his secretary role to focus on starting his new vineyard in Waterford, VA.  Over the years he has led a number of tastings at GWS including popular German red wine focused events.   He is excited to be part of the Board and have an impact on future directions of the GWS.  

Candidate Statement of David Roehm:  (for Treasurer and Cellar Master)

I am a long-time member of the German Wine Society.  I have been Treasurer for 15 years and am now Cellar Master as well.  I love German Wines, particularly Mosel Rieslings, and have had the wonderful experience of attending the German Wine Academy.  During my tenure as Treasurer, we have striven to keep adequate funds in the Treasury while maintaining reasonable prices for events.  I maintain the Society Wine Cellar in my basement.  I have a background in management consulting and finance, including an MBA and experience as a CFO. 

Candidate Statement of Kevin Ross (for Board Member)

Kevin Ross has been active in the German Wine Society for approximately three years, during which time he set up the chapter’s current website. Innovations include an ecommerce payment system as well as an events calendar for all past and future events.

Kevin greatly enjoys the wines of all the culturally Germanic countries like Alsace, Alto Adige, Austria and of course Germany.

Candidate Statement of Hanne Caraher (for Board Member)

Hanne Caraher served the German Wine Society as secretary for well over 20 years before she resigned two years ago. She would like to continue as a member of the chapter board to help pursue and achieve the society’s goals.











Candidate Statement of Alexander Friedman (for Board Member)

Alexander Friedman was born in Los Angeles, was raised in New York City and Minnetonka, MN, and is a financial broker by trade. His ancestors were winegrowers in Leimersheim, Pfalz, Germany, only a few miles from the famous Deutsche Weinstrasse. An advocate for German American culture and history, Al has been active in the German Wine Society since moving to DC in 2015, and is also a member of the German American Heritage Society of the United States. He runs a 10-person tasting group in DC that meets monthly and is always seeking out wine from new producers or obscure varietals. He currently holds the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 certification and is awaiting the results of the WSET Level 3 examination. His other hobbies include hunting, classical music, opera, and working on the family farm in Mott, North Dakota.