SPARGELFEST AT THE GERMAN EMBASSY

It is a pleasure to announce that the German Embassy has invited us once again to hold an event  at the German Embassy House!  And for this event, our asparagus-themed Spargelfest dinner, we will also have the opportunity to enjoy once again the cuisine of the German Embassy’s new chef, Mikko Kosenen of Mikko Nordic Fine Foods.  Chef Mikko 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 paired with asparagus dishes, at the German Embassy where the German Wine Society began.

Spring in Washington announces itself with cherry blossoms, migrating songbirds, and tasty ramps at farmers’ markets.  In Germany, nothing epitomizes Spring like the revered white stalks of Spargel (asparagus)!  The green variety is more popular in North America and tends to be available in supermarkets year-round.  Germans, however, prefer the white variety that is harvested from mid-April to near the end of June (St. John’s Day), and often is harder to find in the United States.  The Germans have given this harvest season its own name – Spargelzeit – and celebrate it with passion.   Though our event is taking place in June this year rather than May, we are still within the Spargelzeit period in Germany.

Rich in nutrients and very low in calories, asparagus has become a culinary status symbol for many Germans.  To produce white asparagus, soil is piled up into knee-high banks, which give the fields their characteristic appearance.  White asparagus grows entirely surrounded by earth, which protects the slender stalks from sunlight exposure and keeps them from turning green.  This also affects the subtle flavor of it.  The popular vegetable is cultivated in almost all federal states as well as in neighboring countries.  In fact, Germans consume more white asparagus than their country produces, so it is necessary to import it.

Please join the German Wine Society’s Capital Chapter on the evening of Friday, June 13, 2025, from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm, for a five-course asparagus-themed dinner in the German Embassy House, plus an outdoor reception with served hors d’oeuvres on the Embassy House patio (weather permitting).  Our Spargelfest dinner will feature not only the elegant vegetable in both its green and white versions, but also fine German wines, including Silvaner, known for its affinity with asparagus.  We will have ten wines including eight whites, of which  two are the classic Franken Silvaners, a red, and a sparkling wine, representing five of Germany’s wine regions (Ahr, Franken, Mosel, Nahe and Rheinhessen).  It has been a tradition of the German Wine Society to hold Spargelfest dinners at this time of year at various locations, including the German Embassy House, Cafe Mozart (now regrettably closed), and Cafe Berlin two years ago  We look forward to our return to the Embassy where our Society began 48 years ago, in 1977.

Registration for this event must be received by Monday, June 9, 2025.   

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

First, you can register below on this website 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 electronic 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,.  We will need a complete list of all attendee names in advance for Embassy security, and 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 member of the German Wine Society (either the Capital Chapter, or one of the other active chapters in the U.S. or an at-large member with annual dues paid), or a non-member.   You can join the GWS Capital Chapter either by using the website and registering to pay annual dues of $35 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 chapter Secretary at the above e-mail to confirm your status. 

Here’s what we have planned for our Spargelfest:

June 13, 5:30 pm (entry to Embassy compound passing through security beginning 5:30 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.

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.

5:30pm Welcoming menu: hors d’ oeuvres + Sparkling wine served at Patio

            Blackened Salmon on Toast with Tartar Sauce

            Asparagus Quiche Bites

            Grilled Prawns Skewers with Gochujang Sauce

            Bratwurst Bites with Spicy Mustard

            These hors d’oeuvres will be accompanied by the following sparkling wine:

            Nv Dr. Loosen Sparkling Riesling Dr. L Mosel 

6:30pm Seated Dinner: inside cantina

      First (Soup) Course

      Cream of Asparagus with Whipped Feta Cream

      Served with the following white wine:

       2023 Weiser Kunstler Estate Riesling Feinherb Mosel 

      Second (Salad) Course

      Green Asparagus / Yellow Beetroot Salad with Gorgonzola Sauce

      Served with the following white wines:

       2023 Dönnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett Nahe (VM 99)

       2023 Thanisch Erben Thanisch Dr. H Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett Mosel 

      Third (Asparagus) Course

      Grilled White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce / Rye Crisp

      Served with the following white wines:

       2021 Max Müller Silvaner Trocken QbA Franken

       2021 Max Müller Volkach Silvaner Trocken Franken (in Bocksbeutel)

      Fourth (Entree) Course

      Crabmeat Crusted Cod with Browned Horseradish Sauce

      Redwine Braised Beef Short Ribs (boneless) with Seasonal Vegetables

      German Potato Salad

      Served with the following white and red wines:

       2022 Meyer-Näkel Estate Spätburgunder Ahr

       2023 JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Mosel (WA 94)

      Fifth (Dessert) Course

       Strawberry Rhubarb Pavlova with Lemon Creme

      Served with the following sweet white wines:

      2019 Weingut Keller Rieslaner Auslese Rheinhessen (1/2 bottles)

       2023 J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese Riesling Mosel (VM 96)

      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 price for this event will be $188 for members, and $198 for non-members.  There will be a 64-person limit on attendance at this event, including Embassy guests, so reserve soon to avoid disappointment.

For this event, we are no longer requiring that guests take special health precautions.  We do request that if you contract covid-19 or another communicable illness, or test positive for one, 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 day 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 Spargelfest 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 Spargelfest!   

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

REGISTRATION FORM FOR GERMAN WINE SOCIETY SPARGELFEST EVENT ON JUNE 13, 2025 AT THE GERMAN EMBASSY

$188.00 Members / $198.00 Non-Member Guests

Member(s) Names: _________________________________________________________________

Guest(s) Names: _____________________________________________________________________

Total Enclosed: ______________________________________________________________________

Daytime Phone Number: ____________________________________________________________

E-Mail:  ______________________________________________________________________________