Oktober Weinfest

ANNOUNCING THE GERMAN WINE SOCIETY’S OKTOBER WEINFEST CELEBRATION AT THE GERMAN EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2023!   

 

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.    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.  Below are all the details you will need about the wines, food, registration, payment and getting to the event.   

Registration for this event is now closed. 

Here’s what we have planned for our Oktober Weinfest:

September 15, 6:00 pm (entry to Embassy compound passing through security beginning 6 pm):   Reception and wine dinner at the German Embassy House.  Enter at the main Embassy gate on 4645 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007, and proceed up the stairway alongside the main Embassy building depicted here to the Embassy House on the upper level.   For those who have difficulty ascending the stairs, escorts from the Embassy staff can bring guests through the Embassy building and up an elevator. 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.  For security purposes, the Embassy requires a list of all attendees in advance; no walk-ins are allowed.  Please remember to bring a valid picture ID.    There is no parking available on Embassy grounds, but it should not be difficult at this time of day to find parking on the street nearby if you are driving.   Be alert, however, to DC parking restrictions.  The German Embassy is not near a Metro subway stop, but it is also possible to arrive by Metro bus (D6 to Foxhall Rd.) or by taxi/ride service.

 

6:00pm Welcoming menu: hors d’ oeuvres + Sparkling wine served at Patio

    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 

 

 7:00pm Dinner Buffet: inside cantina

  Red Wines

     2019 Rebholz Spätburgunder Pfalz 

      and

     2018 Meyer-Näkel Blue Slate Spätburgunder Ahr

  Trocken (Dry) White Wines 

     2021 Max Müller Volkach Silvaner Trocken Franken (in Bocksbeutel)

      and

     2021 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken Nahe 

  Kabinett White Wines

      2021 Hermann Ludes Thornitcher Ritsch “Monster” Riesling Kabinett Feinherb Mosel 

      and

      2021 Thanisch Erben Thanisch Dr. H Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett Mosel 

  Spätlese White Wines

      2021 Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen 303 Riesling Spätlese Rheingau 

      and

      2021 Willi Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Mosel 

 

 Dessert buffet:

  These dishes will be served with a flight of two sweet wines:

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

      and

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

 

Coffee and Tea service at end, with bottled still and sparkling water provided at tables

 

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 60-person limit on attendance at this event, including Embassy guests, has been reached and registration is now closed.

 

For this event, we are no longer requiring that guests provide proof of vaccination against covid-19, or wear masks when arriving.   We do encourage our members and guests, however, to be up to date in vaccinations, and request that if you contract covid-19 or another communicable illness, or test positive for covid-19, you refrain from attending the event and protect the health of others.  We can refund payments if you notify us that you are not able to attend the event for this reason prior to the start of the event.

 

All GWS members and guests are reminded that alcohol consumption can lead to intoxication.   Members and guests should use public transportation to events, rely on a designated driver, or taste the wines rather than finish them.

 

The event coordinator for the Oktober Weinfest is Carl Willner, Capital Chapter President and Secretary, and National Vice President and Secretary.  Please send any questions to Carl at carl.willner1@verizon.net .

 

We look forward to seeing you for our October Weinfest!