German Wine Society DC

Ho, Ho, Ho, German Wine Society Members and Friends of German Wines, it’s nearly time to hang the stockings and dream of delicious German wine! We can gather in person again in Washington, D.C. amidst all the elegance of Embassy Row.

So, please plan to attend the GWS Holiday paired dinner at the Cosmos Club, Friday, December 11, 2026 for dinner starting at 7:00 pm, with registration and service of welcoming sekt and hors d’oeuvres beginning at 6:00 pm. We are very fortunate to have access to this elegant and festive venue again this year.

The paired dinner includes a variety of nine German wines, one sparkling, five whites, two reds and a rose, among them two prädikat-level entree and dessert selections including a Beerenauslese, accompanied by a three-course meal preceded by hors d’oeuvres. This year, we are offering a choice of three different entrees with different prices, beef, black bass and duck. Be sure to register for the one you want, and if there are multiple people on your order, register separately for each different entree choice and let the Secretary know by email who is having each choice for the place cards.

In addition, there will be entertainment - a holiday piano trio featuring Christine Kharazian on violin, Irina Ponomareva on cello, and Nina Willner on piano, with an opportunity to sing some German and other traditional songs together!

And, to add to the festive spirit, we will hold a drawing for a bottle of vintage Trockenbeerenauslese, with all members who make a modest $20 donation to the GWS Capital Chapter’s Kent-Marling Endowment eligible to participate. Details are provided below, and you can make a donation at the same time as you register for this event online, or by check.

Location: The address for our holiday dinner is just a few blocks from Dupont Circle. Metro is near (Dupont Circle Red Line) and parking is available to the rear of the club. The stunning venue is, as in past years, the wood-paneled Members Dining Room on the 2nd floor in this landmark building. This year, both the opening reception and the dinner will take place in the same room - please come into the Members Dining Room when arriving to sign in rather than waiting in the Long Gallery outside. With fireplaces lit, perfect for a special holiday wine event with family and friends! There is a coatroom on the first floor free for members and guests - no need to bring heavy bags and coats upstairs to the event.

Safety Precautions: We and the Cosmos Club are not requiring any special health precautions this year, such as proof of vaccination or wearing of masks when arriving. If you contract or test positive for covid-19 or other communicable disease in advance of the event, we request that you not come for the safety of our other guests, and request a refund which we can provide if notified ahead of of the day of the event, to give us a chance to offer the place to another guest. Otherwise, refunds can only be made if requested before the registration deadline.

Menu: The paired menu will be as follows:

Welcome Reception with passed hors d’oeuvres

Chorizo Stuffed Medjool Dates, smoked bacon wrapped, with piquillo pepper sauce

Smoked Muscovy Duck, with fig marmalade, brioche toast

Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread, with caramelized red onion, arugula, fig balsamic

NV Dr. Loosen “Dr. L” Sparking Riesling (12% alc.), rated 91 WE

First (Appetizer) Course

Chicory and Riesling Poached Pear, with candied walnut, feta cheese, dates, white balsamic vinaigrette

Cosmos Club Popovers with sweet creamery butter

2022 Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) Estate Ahr (13% alc.), rated 91 WE

2024 Peter Lauer Unterstenberg Riesling Fass 12 Mosel (12.5% alc.), rated 93 VM

2025 Schloss Johannisberg Gelblack Riesling Feinherb Rheingau (12% alc.), rated 91 WS

Entree Course (choose one dish when registering)

Bistro Steak, with cheddar duchess potatoes, forest mushrooms, marinated Roma tomatoes

Herb Crusted Black Bass, with celery root puree, carnival cauliflower risotto, and pickled beech mushrooms, herb oil

Fennel Spiced Duck Breast, with kabocha squash risotto, compressed fennel, pepita crumble, and red currant port reduction

2023 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling GG Nahe (12.5% alc.), rated 96 WA, 95-97 VN, 96 RP, 100 JS

2023 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spätlese, Mosel (8.0% alc.), rated 95 VM

2021 Ökonomierat Rebholz “R” Spätburgunder Pfalz (13% alc.), rated 93 VM

Dessert Course

Mango Panna Cotta, with strawberry meringue, prosecco gel, mint

2022 Schnaitmann Steinwiege Muskattrollinger Rose Württemberg (11% alc.), rated 89 WE

2021 Karl Erbes Ürziger in der Kranklei Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel (6% alc.), rated 98 WE

Coffee and Tea Service

Parking: Club parking is off Florida Avenue behind the club. There is a small white sign showing the parking entrance. Parking is included in the event price and there is no tipping at the club including the valet parking. Parking is limited and club members have preference. It is highly advisable not to arrive late in case there are other functions going on at the club that evening.

Dress Code: The dress code for the Cosmos Club is strict - jackets and ties for men, comparable business or evening attire for women. No jeans or tennis shoes are allowed. As it is the holiday season, feel free to indulge in festive attire!

Prices: The dinner price, varying by entree selected, is:
Herb Crusted Black Bass $252 members/$262 non-members
Bistro Steak $249 members/$259 non-members
Fennel Spiced Duck Breast $248 members/$258 non-members

Our Holiday TBA Drawing: What German wine lover would not be delighted to receive a bottle of vintage Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling for the holidays, the summit of the German sweetness hierarchy? This is your chance! We have received a donation from Laura Marling, wife of our late GWS Chairman Emeritus George Marling, of a bottle of 1989 Josephshöfer Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Mosel (7% alc.), described as Erzeugerabfüllung (estate-bottled) by Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, a historic estate with roots dating to 1349 and a VDP producer. Josephshöfer is a famed monopole site in the wine village of Graach. Laura has requested that we use this wine to raise funds for our GWS chapter, of which George was a member for several decades and a past president. This is a prizewinning wine, and, most unusually for a TBA, is in a full-sized 750 ml bottle rather than a half-bottle. This 37-year old TBA was in George Marling’s wine cellar for many years, and given his knowledge of wines, can be trusted to have been properly stored. If such a wine could even be found on the market today, Laura has estimated that it would have a value of around $600 based on online research. Though we can make no guarantee about its condition, high-prädikat Rieslings such as a TBA can age well for decades, between 20 and 50 years, with exceptional bottles lasting 80 years or more, given their high levels of natural sugar and acidity that slow down oxidization. Rather than have a single member bear the risk of paying a high price in an auction, we will conduct a drawing for this bottle of wine at the Holiday Dinner, with all members in good standing (dues current) eligible to participate if they have made a $20 donation before the dinner to the German Wine Society, which will be placed in the Capital Chapter’s Kent-Marling Endowment established by George Philips. This donation can be made online using the appropriate payment button on our Shop page, or by check made out to the German Wine Society. For couples memberships, each member of the couple is permitted to make a donation to improve chances of winning. GWS members are entitled to donate and have a chance to win this extraordinary wine even if they are not attending the Holiday Dinner, but non-members are not eligible to compete. We encourage all members to participate in this opportunity to win a wonderful holiday wine!