Saturday, August 3, 2013

Photo Album: 4th Riesling Rendezvous (2013) in Seattle, Washington State, USA

Picture: Riesling

The world of Riesling returned to Seattle in Washington State. The attraction was the 4th Riesling Rendezvous, a gathering of Riesling producers and enthusiasts from around the world.

Riesling Rendezvous is sponsored by Chateau Ste. Michelle, the Washington State giant wine producer and Weingut Dr. Loosen, one of Germany’s top Riesling producers from the Mosel Valley. The famous Eroica Riesling from Washington State is a joint venture of Ste. Michelle and Dr. Loosen. Riesling Rendezvous is the largest international gathering of Riesling producers and enthusiasts in the world. It features three days of tasting, discussing and learning about Riesling.

This posting is part of a series of a dozen or so postings on the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle. The focus is on photos taken over the 21/2 days, in chronological order. I have posted sofar:

The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle: Impressions from the Grand Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington State, USA
The World of Riesling in Seattle - Fourth Riesling Rendezvous in Washington State, USA
Coming Up in July: 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA 
The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA  

Picture: Pre-Riesling Rendezvous Dinner at the Boatshouse in Seattle - Ernst Loosen, his Crew and the German Winemakers in his Import Portfolio plus Helmut and Mrs. Doennhoff, see also: see also: Ernie and his Friends - The Loosen Bros. USA Portfolio Tour 2012

Riesling Rendezvous Grand Tasting

The 4th Riesling Rendezvous kicked off Sunday, July 14, with the Grand Tasting on Chateau Ste. Michelle’s winery grounds in Woodinville, about 15 miles from downtown Seattle. Almost 70 Riesling producers from seven countries - United States, Germany, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Slovakia and Austria - presented their wines. From within the United States, wineries from seven states participated: Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, California, New York, New Jersey and Michigan.

Picture: Pacific Rim Head Winemaker Nicolas Quille and German Winemaker Carl von Schubert, Maximin Gruenhaus

Picture: Gunther Haug (right) and Felix Korb (left) , Geheimer Rat von Bassermann Jordan, see also: The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA  

Pictures: From top to bottom: Fred Loimer, Weingut Loimer, Markus Huber, Weingut Huber, Emmerich Knoll, Weingut Knoll, Heinz Frischgruber, Domäne Wachau, see also: Wine Producer Austria - Not Only Gruener Veltliner

Picture: California Winemaker Zeke Neeley, Trefethen Family Vineyards, and Christian G.E. Schiller in Woodinville

Picture: Pacific Rim Head Winemaker Nicolas Quille and Winemaker Steven Sealock, see also: Visiting Winemaker Steven Sealock at Pacific Rim Winemakers in Washington State, USA and see: Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium at Oak Knoll Winery in Hillsboro

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and US wine-author John Haeger, who lead one of the 2 International Riesling Tastings

Picture: Dave Breeden, Sheldrake Point Winery, see also: Celebrating the Release of the Finger Lakes 2011 Riesling in Washington DC, USA

Picture: Fred Merwarth (Winemaker, Vineyard Manager and Co-Owner), Hermann J. Wiemer Vienyards, see also: German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer, Finger Lakes, USA

Pictures: Winemaker Johannes Reinhardt, Anthony Road Wine Company and Kemmeter Wines, see also: The Wines and the Food at President Obama’s Inauguration Luncheon, January 21, 2013, USA

Picture: Loosen Bros. CEO Kirk Wille and Spouse, see also: Ernie and his Friends - The Loosen Bros. USA Portfolio Tour 2012

Picture: UK-based Wine Journalist Tim Atkin, who lead one of the 2 International Riesling Tastings. See also: The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance

Picture: Riesling Giant Stuart Pigott, see more: Late Night German Riesling Tasting with Riesling Gurus Paul Grieco and Stuart Pigott in Washington DC on the 2013 Riesling Road Trip, USA

Picture: Wine Blogger Mike Veseth and his Wife. Mike is professor emeritus of International Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound. He is the author of many books.

Picture: Stuart Pigott and Helmut Doennhoff, see also: Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World – Snooth 2012

Picture: Carl von Schubert, Weingut Maximin Gruenhaus - Schlosskellerei C. von Schubert, see also: Schiller’s Favorites at the 2013 Riesling and Co Tasting in New York City, USA.

Picture: Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, see also: Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA

Picture: The German Tent

Picture: German Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff and Mrs. Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff, see also: Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World – Snooth 2012

Picture: Helmut Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff, see also: Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World – Snooth 2012

Picture: Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann and Fred Loimer, Weingut Loimer

Picture: Annegret Reh-Gartner, Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, see also: The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA

Picture: Helmut Doennhoff and Carl von Schubert

Picture: Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag, see also: The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA

Picture: Helmut Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff, see also: Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World – Snooth 2012

Picture: Clemens Busch, Weingut Clemens Busch, see also: With Wine Maker Clemens Busch in Puenderich at his Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany

Picture: Ernst Loosen and Hermann J. Wiemer

Pictures: Wilhelm Weil, Weingut Weil, and his Wines, see also: Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany

Picture: Charles Smith, Charles Smith Wines

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller, Chateau Ste. Michelle Winemaker Bob Bertheau and Chateau Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler, see also: German American Wines: (1) Pacific Rim Riesling (2) Eroica and (3) Woelffer's Schillerwein

Picture: Clemens Busch from Weingut Clemens Busch in Germany, Christian G.E. Schiller and Hermann Wiemer, founder of Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards in the Finger Lakes Region in New York State. For Weingut Clemens Busch, see: With Wine Maker Clemens Busch in Puenderich at his Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany. For Hermann J. Wiemer, see: German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer, Finger Lakes, USA

First Day of Riesling Rendezvous

The Monday and Tuesday program events were held at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center located on Seattle's beautiful waterfront.

Picture: Bell Harbor International Conference Center located on Seattle's Beautiful Waterfront

About 300 attendees were at Monday and Tuesday's program events.

Pictures: Chateau Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler, Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen and Falstaff Germany Co-publisher Ursula Haslauer

Picture: London-based Wine Journalist Tim Atkin and German Winemaker Carl von Schubert, Maximin Gruenhaus

Picture: Loosen Bros. CEO Kirk Wille and Riesling Guru Stuart Pigott

Picture: Wine Blogger Mike Veseth and his Wife. Mike is professor emeritus of International Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound. He is the author of many books

Picture: German Winemakers Helmut Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff and Annegret Reh-Gartner, Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt

Picture: Annegret Reh-Gartner, Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt and German Food and Wine Journalist Ursula Heinzelmann

On Monday, July 15, the morning started with opening remarks from Ernst Loosen, Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler and global Riesling authority Stuart Pigott.

Pictures: Opening Remarks from Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler, Ernst Loosen, and Global Riesling Authority Stuart Pigott

After that, 300 Riesling enthusiasts participated in a fascinating blind tasting of global dry Rieslings (20 wines). The tasting was moderated by US wine-author John Haeger.

Pictures: International Riesling Tasting, Dry

Picture: The First Row - Stuart Pigott, Kirk Wille, Bob Berteau, Ernst Loosen, Ste Michelle Vice President Douglas N. Gore and Ste. Michelle President Ted Baseler

Picture: The Austrian Crew with Emmerich Knoll, Weingut Knoll, and Markus Huber, Weingut Huber, see also: Wine Producer Austria - Not Only Gruener Veltliner

Picture: Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann

Picture: Tim Atkin

Picture: Helmut Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff, Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag and Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann, see also: The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA

Lunch featured Northwest wines.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller Lunching with Pacific Rim GM and Head Winemaker Nicolas Quille

After lunch, three breakout sessions took place in parallel:

“Riesling’s Outer Limits” with Stuart Pigott.
“Proving that Terroir Matters” with Dr. Ulrich Fischer.
“Winemakers Roundtable: To Blend or not to Blend” led by Bob Bertheau of Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen.

Picture: Riesling’s Outer Limits, with Stuart Pigott

The afternoon concluded with special walk-around tastings:

Pairing Riesling with Smoked Salmon with German food writer Ursula Heinzelmann
Riesling and Cheese Tasting presented by Oregon’s Rogue Creamery
Riesling Taste Test: How Dry/Sweet is it? Where would you place it on the IRF scale? Presented by the International Riesling Foundation
Riesling Friendly Appetizers
Wines from Idaho, New York State and Germany.

Picture: German Winemaker Wilherlm Weil, Weingut Weil, chatting

Picture: Ursula Heinzelmann advising on salmon and wine

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and German Winemaker Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and German Winemaker and VDP President Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann

Pictures: Oyster and Trefethen Dry Riesling - On the side of the 4th Riesling Rendezvous, Jon Rowley organized a small event with California Winemaker Zeke Neeley, Trefethen Family Vineyards, and Oysters. The Trefethen Dry Riesling was one of the 10 wines that were selected this year as a perfect oyster wine, see: The 10 Winners of the 2013 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition, USA

Second Day of Riesling Rendezvous Featured Sweeter Wines

On Tuesday, July 16, the day began with another fascinating blind tasting of 20 Rieslings, this time off-dry and sweet Rieslings from around the world, moderated by London-based wine journalist Tim Atkin, a Master of Wine.

Pictures: International Tasting Beyond Dry Riesling

Picture: Helmut and Mrs. Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff, at the International Riesling Tasting Beyond Dry

The International Riesling Foundation then made a presentation called “Riesling Research and Revelations.”

Lunch featured Australian Rieslings, sponsored by Icons of Australia.

Picture:Christian G.E. Schiller, Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann, Helmut and Mrs Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff

After lunch, there were three breakout sessions:

“Grosses Gewaches – the New VDP Classification” with Steffen Christmann and Wilhelm Weil.
“The Electric Riesling Acid Test” with Emily Wines, M.S.
“Marketing Riesling: Preaching Beyond the Choir” with Leslie Sbrocco.

I participated in the breakout session of Steffen Christmann and Wilhelm Weil.

Pictures: Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann, Stuart Pigott and Wilhelm Weil, Weingut Robert Weil

Pictures: Stuart Pigott, Christian G.E. Schiller and Finger Lakes Winemaker Johannes Rheinhardt, see also: The Wines and the Food at President Obama’s Inauguration Luncheon, January 21, 2013, USA

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and UK-based Wine Journalist Tim Atkin, see also: The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance 

The event concluded with a farewell reception at Chihuly Garden and Glass at the Seattle Center. The Chihuly Garden and Glass is a breathtaking gallery space showcasing the spectacular art of Northwest glass master Dale Chihuly. It was a dramatic and entertaining way to bid farewell to new and old friends as we concluded our Riesling celebration.

Picture: Chihuly Garden and Glass at the Seattle Center

Pictures: Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag, Helmut Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff, Clemens Busch, Weingut Clemens Busch, Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann, Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, and Wilhelm Weil, Weingut Robert Weil

Pictures: The German Crowd with Helmut and Mrs. Doennhoff, Oliver Haag and Clemens Busch

Pictures: Winemaker Bob Bertheau of Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen, with Dr. Ulrich Fischer

Pictures: Christian Schiller, Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, and Chateau Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler at the Farewell Reception of the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA

Picture: Helmut Doennhoff Leaving The Chihuly Garden and Glass

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Fred Loimer, Weingut Loimer

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Markus Huber, Weingut Huber

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Charles Smith, Smith Wines

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Emmerich Knoll, Weingut Knoll

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Clemens Busch, Weingut Clemens Busch

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Tim Atkin

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Sean O'Keefe, Vice President, Chateau Grand Traverse, Michigan

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Helmut Doennhoff, Weingut Doennhoff

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Ombiasy Wine Tours: Wine and Culture Tour to Germany Coming up in August 2013

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The German Winemakers at the Forthcoming 4. Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, Washington State, USA 

German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer, Finger Lakes, USA

Ernie and his Friends - The Loosen Bros. USA Portfolio Tour 2012

The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Strong Performance 

Late Night German Riesling Tasting with Riesling Gurus Paul Grieco and Stuart Pigott in Washington DC on the 2013 Riesling Road Trip, USA

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Celebrating the Release of the Finger Lakes 2011 Riesling in Washington DC, USA

The Wines and the Food at President Obama’s Inauguration Luncheon, January 21, 2013, USA

The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle: Impressions from the Grand Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington State, USA

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