AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY
A non-profit corporation

John Marshall Chapter


FEBRUARY MEETING:  Wines of Germany, presented by Chris Braun

Chris, as it turned out, did not go to Germany to visit friends and family. Rather, she went solely to attend a course on German wines and the appreciation thereof, from which she returned laden with terrific hand-out materials as well as wines. The wines we enjoyed are shown in the table below.

Winemaker Year Quality Varietal Price
 Comment
Konigschaffhausen 2001 Halbtrocken Flaneur $7
Klaus Knobloch 2000
Dornfelder $15 one of two reds tried that night
Hirshchhof


$30
 sherry-like aperitif
Hans Lang 1997 Extra Brut Riesling $27 a bubbly
Hans Lang 2001 Trocken Spatlese
$17 the popular favorite that night
Konigschaffhausen

Selection
 $16
 the other red
Kurt Hain 2001 Spatlese Riesling $9 another favorite among our crowd
Pfeffingen 2001 Spatlese
$20
Schmitt's Kinder 1994 Auslese Bacchus $23 comes in a Mateur-shaped bottle
Staatsweingutrer 1992
Huxelrebe,  Rheinland-Pfalz  $18

Does that seem like a lot of wines to sample in one evening? Yes, it was, and we loved it. Chris served them up with glossy wine maps of Germany, glossy brochures on German wines, a website printout of all the wines of Germany, the wines and grapes from the rest of the world, and a glossy folder that enclosed two German wine aroma wheels – one for reds and one for whites. Marvels of German engineering and precision, the wheels divide the tasting experience into about 49 sektors and assigns deskriptive names to each to enable you to better deskribe your sensory state. Deskriptors begin with "Ach du Lieber!" and proceed thru "Dis wein ist kaputmein herr!" Chris was carried around the church amid wild huzzahs.

 

MARCH MEETING:  Ports of the Millenium, presented by Walt Rachele

Mike and Mary Anne Wassenberg's Residence ~ 6682 Colonnades Drive, Warrenton (view map) ~ Social hour at 6:30 p.m. ~ Meeting and tasting at 7:00 p.m.
Reservations Required: Contact Mike Schlosser at mwschlosser@yahoo.com

Only once a year, in the throes of winter, does Walt comes down from his aerie in Westminster MD to reveal to us mortals the ineffable charms of good port wine. Only 3% to 4% of all ports can be classified as Vintage ports, and these will all be ports of the Vintage 2000 – the Vintage of the Millenium. Here is a measure of the quality of these offerings: The ports he plans to present cost as follows:

Producer Price
Fonseca $100
Graham $85
Taylor Fladgate $100
Romariz $35
Dows $75
Smith Woodhouse $50
Quinta do Noval, $110

These are prices per bottle, folks – NOT per case! And that is why the higher premium for this tasting: $25 per person. There is a seating limit of 24; only 4 seats are left so reserve today if you hope to share in what promises to be a celestial experience.


COMING EVENTS: Local Wineries

Spring is around the corner and the wineries are gearing up for warm-weather activities in March:
Get a copy of the new "Virginia Wineries 2003 Festival and Tour Guide" at a winery or our AWS meeting for dates and descriptions of activities.


REVIEW: 4th Annual DC International Wine & Food Festival

February 22-23, Saturday and Sunday ~ Washington Convention Center (formerly at the Ronald Reagan Building)  ~ 900 9th and H Streets
Website:  http://www.wine-expos.com

The press releases stated there were more wineries and wines, much less food, almost no tschotchkes, but higher prices – admission this year was $50 advance, $61 at the door. On the other hand, there were some very impressive wines to be sampled. One very impressive new winery was Hunt Cellars of Paso Robles, California. Owner-president and winemaker David Hunt is blind, but his red wines are huge and gorgeous. Robert Mondavi wines were also there, doling out some of their higher-end products. So it was a good outing for the serious wine buff.

And that’s all the news that’s fit to sip. See you on Sunday!

Bruce