Riesling vs. Chenin Blanc

Riesling vs. Chenin Blanc: What Are the Differences and Similarities?

Please plan to join the German Wine Society on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm for a comparative tasting of German Rieslings and Chenin Blancs from France’s Loire Valley,  with ten different wines offered to illustrate the similarities and differences of wines using these grapes.  The tasting will be presented by our own Annette Schiller, who will be bringing some of these wines back from Europe just for us from her most recent tour.  This is our penultimate event of 2024, before the Holiday Dinner on December 7.  Registrations for this event are due by Tuesday, November 5, 2024, and the price is $45 for GWS members, $52 for non-members.  Please be aware that, due to limited supply of the wines, we have maximum cap of 40 for attendance at this event.  Reserve early to avoid disappointment!  

Aficionados of a fresh, crisp white wine will eventually fall in love with both the Riesling and Chenin Blanc grapes.  Riesling is of course Germany’s most planted and best known grape, while Chenin Blanc, though not the leading grape of France, is one of its white stars.  Chenin Blanc acquired its name from Mont-Chenin in the Touraine district of France in the 15th Century, but can be traced as far back as Anjou in 845 AD.  There is much to love and little to hate at all about either varietal.  Both varietals can be produced in all sorts of styles: sparkling, still, bone dry, semi-sweet, fruity sweet, or lusciously sweet.  In five flights, one Riesling and one Chenin Blanc each, we will compare the different styles of the two varietals and will examine the decisive factors: acidity level, sugar level, ageability, versatility, value, and terroir expressiveness.  

Join us for a fun tasting and find out if you are a Riesling or Chenin Blanc fan or maybe both!

The specific wines for our Riesling-Chenin Blanc comparison are still in the process of being selected, but will be provided to attendees at a later time as soon as they are determined.  

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

Our tasting will begin at 7 p.m on Saturday, November 9, with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. to admit guests.  The location is the Van Ness Room that we have often used before for membership meetings and other events, including our New German Wine Law tasting in 2023 and Pinots Tasting earlier this year, at 3001 Veazey Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008.  Enter through the main lobby of the apartment building on the 5th floor, and then go down to the 2nd floor by elevator and proceed down the hall to the clubroom.  While there is not off-street parking at this location, on-street parking is available (bear in mind DC parking restrictions and meters), and there is easy access to Metro, at the Van Ness Red Line station.

You can register and pay for this event in either of two ways.  

First, you can register on our chapter website, https://germanwinesocietydc.org , and make payment by PayPal.   You will need to create a GWS account for the website if you do not already have one, and you will also need to have a PayPal account, as we cannot accept payment by other forms of credit or online transfer.  If you are coming as a couple or other group, you can either register and pay for each individual separately, or do it as part of a single transaction and complete the payment on PayPal together.  If you do a single transaction, please also email the Secretary of the GWS Capital Chapter at the address below to provide the names of each individual coming, as the individual names will not all appear on the website form for multiple persons registering together.

Second, if you prefer to register by mail and pay by check for the event, please clip off the registration form attached to this notice, indicate the names of all who will be attending, and mail a check made out to the German Wine Society in the proper amount along with the form to:   

Carl Willner  

President and Secretary, GWS Capital Chapter  

1014 Reserve Champion Drive  

Rockville, MD 20850

You can also reach the Secretary by e-mail at carl.willner1@verizon.net .

Whether you are registering by mail or online, please be sure to provide the names of all persons for whom you are registering, and pay the appropriate price depending on whether each person is a GWS member (with annual dues paid), or a non-member.   You can also become a member or renew, if your membership is not current, together with your registration for this event by including an annual $35 dues payment (for an individual or a couple), through PayPal, or by mail using a check, in the same manner as registering for the event.   If you have been a member of the GWS Capital Chapter in the past but are not sure of your current membership status, please email the Secretary at the above e-mail to confirm your status.      

We are no longer requiring proof of covid-19 vaccination or masking to attend our in-person events, but do request that if you are experiencing symptoms of covid-19 or other contagious illness, or have tested positive for such an illness, you stay home and recover, and avoid putting other guests at risk.  Refunds can be provided in these circumstances if you notify us before the day of the event, to allow us time to find another guest to take your place.  Otherwise, refunds can only be made if you notify us before the deadline for registration.

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.

If you have questions about this event, you may contact the event organizer and presenter, Annette Schiller, at aschiller@ombiasypr.com , or by phone at 703-459-7513.  Annette’s website is www.ombiasypr.com . For questions about registration and membership, please contact Carl Willner, Capital Chapter President and Secretary, at  carl.willner1@verizon.net .

If you no longer wish to receive our announcements, please reply to this email to the sender.

To register by mail, please fill out and cut the reservation form below with your check – do not mail the entire notice.

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REGISTRATION FORM FOR GERMAN WINE SOCIETY RIESLING – CHENIN BLANC COMPARATIVE TASTING, NOVEMBER 9, 2024

$45.00 Members / $52.00 Non-Member Guests

Member(s) Names: _________________________________________________________________

Guest(s) Names: _________________________________________________________________

Total Enclosed: _________________________________________________________________

Daytime Phone Number: __________________________________________________________________

E-Mail: __________________________________________________________________