---

  PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT
Remarks from Peter Sichel

---

The original event publicity:
Haehn   Phillips    Theise Wines for Theise Seminar  (PDF)   Events Events(PDF DOWNLOAD VERSION) Wines for Opening Reception (PDF) Get Adobe Reader (it's free!) to read PDFs

---

THE
30^th Anniversary of the
German Wine Society

June 15 to 17, 2007 was at the recently renovated Westin Washington City Center, in Washington, DC.*

---

Sponsored by the Capital Chapter, the conference featured speakers listed below. The original web PR release is below:

 

 
Importer Terry Theise
photo courtesy of Michael Skurnik Wines

Terry Theise, who has made the D.C. area his home for the last 20 years, is currently a nominee for the 2007 wine professional award from the James Beard Foundation, and was named among the Most Influential Wine Personalities of the last 20 years by the Wine Advocate in Issue 120. Robert Parker wrote of Terry: “No one in America has done more to focus the consumer's attention on small estate-bottled German wines than Terry Theise. Recently, he has decided to represent small estate-bottled Champagne producers. Theise is notoriously funny and irreverent, with a disarming contempt for authority figures. In a country where selling high-quality German and small estate-bottled Champagne is akin to swimming against the current, he has done a remarkable job, making true believers out of many skeptics.”

 Terry’s portfolio includes some of the highest rated wine estates in Germany: Donnhoff, Selbach-Oster, Muller-Catoir, J.U.h.A. Strub, Kerpen, Diehl, and Leitz, to name only a few. One of the most entertaining speakers on the wine circuit, Terry brings humor, candor and a vast knowledge of Germany and its wines to every appearance. You will not want to miss this fantastic opportunity to experience first hand the magic of his wines and his prose.

 

Back to top

Thomas Haehn, National Sales Director / South East Regional Manager for Wine Cellars International, owned by importer Rudi Wiest.

Gault Millau Wine Guide is Germany's leading wine buying guide and awards the best of the best in various categories, such as winemaker of the year, rising star of the year and estate manager of the year. The estates represented by Rudi Wiest Selections are among those setting the standard for quality in Germany. Mr. Christoph Tyrel of Karthäuserhof Estate was named winemaker of the year 2005, Mr. Wilhelm Weil of Robert Weil Estate was honored with the collection of the year, 2005 award and Mr. Tim Fröhlich of Schäfer-Fröhlich Estate was honored as rising star of the year, 2005.  Other prestigious estates represented by Rudi include Zilliken, von Buhl, Rheinhold Haart, Gunderloch and Fritz Haag. Mr. Haehn will be presenting a selection of these fine estates to us. Tom is an excellent wine educator with a relaxed presentation style that encourages audience interaction. You will not want to miss the chance to spend a wonderful morning with Tom and these great wines.

Rounding out our trilogy of great German wine portfolios will be the wines of Derek Vinnicombe, Managing Director of Vinnicombe GmbH. The company was founded by  William Frederick Vinnicombe, his great-great-grandfather, who established a wine merchants company in Torquay (England) back in 1857. Following practical experience in Germany and Switzerland, Derek became a wine-broker and later established his own company in 1985, concentrating on the finer wines from Germany. Today, he represents many of the top VDP estates in Germany, including Fitz-Ritter, Dr. H. Thanisch, Schloss Schonborn, Langwerth von Simmern, Dr. Fischer,  and the Vereinigte Hospitien.

Back to top

 

Noted wine lecturer Mark Phillips, Executive Director, Wine Tasting Association

Mark Phillips is one of the nation’s most popular wine speakers. The main reason for his popularity is that he has such a humorous, non-snobby approach to wine that resonates with the wine consumer. He is the founder of the Progressive Approach to wine which is a modern and practical approach to wine vs. the Traditional Approach that other wine experts espouse. Because of Phillips’s approach, PBS asked him to host a wine special which aired in March 2006. The show, “Enjoying Wine with Mark Phillips” shattered all records by being aired on over 300 stations making it the most watched wine show in the history of America.

Currently, Phillips is the Executive Director of the Wine Tasting Association (WTA) which hosts wine tastings in the Washington DC area. Previously, Phillips was the featured wine speaker for the Queen Elizabeth 2's Wine and Food Theme Cruise and transatlantic crossing. He was so well received, the QE2 asked him to be the featured wine speaker on the Chef's Palate cruise the following year and co-starred with Julia Child for her last public appearance.  His discussion of pairing Riesling with food should be a highlight of our weekend.  The German Wine Society is delighted to offer this unique seminar at our conference.

Back to top

---

The weekend’s theme was German Wines and International Cuisine - A  Fine Pairing

 

Events:

The traditional home of our opening reception, we convene at the Great Hall of the German Embassy on Friday evening, June 15^th,  as the  German Wine Institute showcases wines from each of Germany's 13 wine- growing regions.

 

Saturday morning, we begin our day (and the rest of our scheduled events) at the Westin, with a tasting from Rudi Wiest's  portfolio, conducted by Tom Haehn.

 

We follow this with a delicious lunch pairing South Asian cuisine with a selection of rieslings.

 

Saturday afternoon belongs to the inimitable Terry Theise, presenting a diverse sampling of his portfolio.

 

Saturday evening will begin with a reception where we sip sekt from  the portfolio of Fitz Ritter, and celebrate our thirty years at a  gala banquet featuring wines from the portfolio of Derek Vinnicombe and  Winesellers, Ltd.,  provided the Henry Wine Group.

 

We conclude our program on Sunday, June 17^th  with brunch and a talk by noted wine  lecturer Mark Phillips who will enlighten us on the challenges and  enjoyment of pairing our favorite rieslings with our favorite cuisines.

We anticipate a robust response to this dynamic program, so plan to reserve early. Pricing for specific events and registration forms will be posted on this site imminently – check back often for the most up to date information.

Back to top

---