Deutsch am Mittag: Weinland Deutschland - A Conversation with Annette Schiller, Ombiasy WineTours, at the Goethe Institute in Washington DC, USA

Picture: Annette Schiller Presenting at the Goethe Institute in Washington DC

Annette Schiller was the special invitee of the monthly “Deutsch am Mittag” (German over Lunch) in October at the Goethe Institute in Washington DC, USA.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? All who wish to hear and speak German were invited to bring their lunch to this monthly presentation and discussion. A topic of interest from German culture, history, or contemporary affairs is presented, in German, by a selected speaker. Discussion on the topic completes the Mittagstisch.

Pictures: Goethe Institute

This month, the topic was "Weinland Deutschland". Annette provided an overview of wine producer Germany and poured 3 wines.

For more information on this event go to the Goethe-Institut web site.

For more information on other tastings by Annette Schiller in the next few weeks go to: Invitation/ Announcement: 4 US East Coast and West Coast German Wine Tastings with Annette Schiller from ombiasy WineTours Coming up in Late October and Early November, 2016

For Annette Schiller's upcoming wine tours in 2017 go to: Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours

Weinland Deutschland

With approximately 250,000 acres of vineyards, Germany is one of the smallest of the important wine-producing countries – others include Spain, France and Italy – in central Europe. However, viticulture in Germany has a long tradition, tracing its roots back to Roman times 2,000 years ago.

Pictures: Annette Schiller Presenting at the Goethe Institute in Washington DC

Today there are 13 wine growing regions in Germany. Together, they produce 9.25 mio hectoliter of wine; of that, 4 mio hectoliter is exported to the US. Germany is primarily known in the US for its delicious fruity-sweet and noble-sweet Rieslings. However, 85% of the wines produced in Germany are dry, and the country is also a serious producer of red wine, which comprises 38% of the output. Germany is the world’s leading producer of Riesling and Pinot-Blanc (Weißburgunder), second in the production of Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder), and third for Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder). It also has a long-standing passion of sparkling wine, being the world’s second-largest producer and number one consumer. This presentation will give an overview of the 13 wine regions alongside a tasting of three wines showcasing different signature grape varieties of Germany.

Annette Schiller

Annette Schiller has been involved in wine since her student days at the University of Mainz, Germany. A macro-economist by training, for many years she organized high-level international conferences for the World Bank. However, wine has always been an important part of Schiller’s life, and she continually educates herself and takes part in tastings to enrich her knowledge. She is often asked to judge wine competitions, and since 2012 she has been organizing in-depth wine tours to Germany and France, the wine countries she knows best.

Picture: Annette Schiller and Helmut Dönnhoff at Weingut Dönnhoff

The Wines: Ahr, Rheingau and Franken

Pictures: Annette Schiller Poured 3 Wines, from the Rheingau, the Ahr and the Franken Regions

2014 Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg, Spätburgunder Unplugged, Gutswein, trocken

Picture: 2014 Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg, Spätburgunder Unplugged, Gutswein, trocken

Picture: Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Owners/ Winemakers Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten. See also: Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

2014 Weingut Balthasar Ress, Riesling, Von Unserem, Gutswein, trocken

Picture: 2014 Weingut Balthasar Ress, Riesling, Von Unserem, Gutswein, trocken 

Picture: Dirk Würz, Weingut Balthasar Ress, Technical Director, in the Cellar Tasting the new Wine. See also : At Weingut Balthasar Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, during the 2015 Harvest with Winemaker Dirk Würtz, Germany

2014 Weingut Hans Wirsching, Iphöfer Silvaner, Ortswein, trocken

Picture: 2014 Weingut Hans Wirsching, Iphöfer Silvaner, Ortswein, trocken

Picture: Cellar Tour with Uwe Matheus at Weingut Wirsching. See also: Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wirsching in Iphofen in Franken with General Manager Uwe Matheus– Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

schiller-wine - Related Postings

Heads up for the 2017 Tours - to Germany and France - by ombiasy WineTours

Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture and History

Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir

Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History

Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France

German Wine at the 2015 EU Open House - German Embassy in Washington DC, USA

Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany

Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach

Ernst Loosen Presented his Wines at Weingut Dr. Loosen, Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel Valley, Germany

2016 VDP Trade Fair Weinbörse - Vintage 2015 - in Mainz: Schiller’s Report

New Developments in German Wine - Annette Schiller at the German Wine Society in Philadelphia, USA

Tasting at Weingut H.J. Kreuzberg in Dernau, Ahr, with Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

At Weingut Balthasar Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, during the 2015 Harvest with Winemaker Dirk Würtz, Germany

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wirsching in Iphofen in Franken with General Manager Uwe Matheus– Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)