Picture: The 2016 Winner (from left to right): Victoria Lergenmüller, Ernst Loosen, Nina Mann, Theresa Breuer and Peter Jakob Kühn (Photo: Falstaff)For the sixth time, the Falstaff Trophies Deutschland were awarded. The wine/food/travel journal Falstaff has been around for a number of years, issued in Vienna, Austria, and reporting about wine, food...

Picture: Tour, Tasting and Wine Lunch at ChAsteau Pichon-Longueville-Baron, Pauillac, 2ième Grand Cru ClasséChAsteau Pichon-Longueville-Baron in Pauillac is one of the most stunning estates in Bordeaux. It is currently owned by the insurance company AXA Millésimes. We had a gorgeous wine lunch at ChAsteau Pichon-Longueville-Baron. This was preceede...

Picture: Didier Cuvelier, Annette Schiller, Anne Cuvelier and Christian G.E. Schiller at ChAsteau Leoville PoyferreLed by Annette Schiller, the Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy took place from September 9 to 19, 2013. The group comprised 12 wine lovers from the United States, including Annette and Christian Schiller. This posting provides a li...

Picture: Tasting with Rainer Schnaitmann at Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann in Fellbach, Württemberg – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), GermanyMore wine is consumed in Württemberg (per capita) than anywhere else in Germany - actually twice as much as in the rest of Germany. The German poet Friedrich von Schiller wrote already...

Picture: Annette Schiller, Vicki Fedor, Mark Fedor and Christian Schiller at the Anniversary DinnerWe joined North Gate owners and winemakers, Mark and Vicki Fedor, and Sebastian Oveysi, one of DC's top chefs and owner of Amoo's Restaurant in McLean, Virginia, as they brought together a special 4-course wine dinner to celebrate the 5th anniversary ...

Picture: Riesling Guru Stuart Pigott at the Gränd Tasting at Back Label Wine Merchants in New York CityRieslingfeier is an annual event in New York City that celebrates German Riesling. The cornerstone event is the Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner. Inspired by Daniel Johnnes’ famous Burgundy fête “La Paulée,” it is very likely the greatest German wine "BY...

Picture: Sophie Schÿler of ChAsteau Kirwan with Annette Schiller, Christian Schiller, Charles Bearfighter RedDoor and Marlene RedDoor in Washington DC earlier this YearHello wine friends in the Washington DC area,I would like to let you know about a fabulous opportunity to share a luncheon with the owner of one of the iconic 1855 classified Bord...

Picture: Annette Schiller and Carl von Schubert, Maximin Grünhaus, at the 2016 Rieslingfeier in New York CityThe VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V.), Germany’s Association, of about 200 Elite Winemakers announced that Weingut Maximin Grünhaus has become its newest member, following the admission of Weingut Kai Schätzel on January 1, 201...

Picture: Tasting and Discussing with Steffen Christmann, Weingut A. Christmann, PfalzWeingut A. Christmann is owned and run in the 7th generation by Steffen Christmann, who is the current President of the VDP, the association of about 200 elite winemakers in Germany . Since its founding in 1845 the estate has produced Riesling and Pinot Noir. Devot...

Picture: Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, and Christian Schiller at a Heart's Delight Event in 2015Heart’s Delight is an annual four-day celebration in Washington DC, USA, bringing together winemakers, celebrity chefs, gourmands, and wine enthusiasts to raise money for the American Heart Association. The events are not cheap, but high-class and...

Picture: Kaub in the Mittelrhein Valley with the Castles Pfalzgrafenstein and Burg Gutenfels - Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2016) In May/June three amazing wine tours are coming up:The first Wine Tour in 2016 goes to Germany’s classic, and well-known wine region: Rheingau, Mittelrhein, Ahr, Mosel, Nahe (May 5 - May 11).We will understa...

Picture: The Governor of Virginia, Terence Richard „Terry“ McAuliffe, and the Keswick Vineyards Team with Al and Cindy Schornberg and Winemaker Stephen Barnard - 2016 Virginiy Governor's Cup Winner (Photo: facebook)Put on by the Virginia Wineries Association, the Governor's Cup is the commonwealth's premier wine competition that rates hundreds of V...

Picture: Gernot Kollmann, Weingut Immich-Batterieberg, Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, Dominik Sona and Franzi Schmitt, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht and Clemens Busch, Weingut Clemens Busch, at Bart Vandaele's BToo in Washington DCThat you have 3 top German winemakers at one dinner table does not happen too often, at least not in the USA. We were...

Picture: Tasting with Owner Didier Cuvelier at ChAsteau Léoville PoyferréChAsteau Léoville Poyferré exists since 1840, when the big Léoville property was divided into three smaller entities. The current owner, the Cuvelier family, bought ChAsteau Léoville Poyferré in 1920. At that time the Cuvelier family was already established in the wine busines...

Picture: Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, Stephen Bitterolf, vom Boden, Christian Schiller at the Rieslingfeier 2016Rieslingfeier is an annual event in New York City that celebrates German Riesling. The cornerstone event is the Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner. Inspired by Daniel Johnnes’ famous Burgundy fête “La Paulée,” it is very likely the greates...

Picture: Christian and Annette Schiller with Henri Lurton, owner of ChAsteau Brane-Cantenac, Margaux Led by Annette Schiller, a group of 30 wine aficionados went to the Bordeaux region from September 2 to 10, 2012. Unlike the Bordeaux trips in the following years, the 2012 trip started and ended in Hochheim, Germany, and also included (in the beg...

Picture: At Weingut Müller CatoirThis outstanding, castle-like impressive estate - visible on the Haardt hill from afar - in the Neustadt suburb of Haardt, the so called balcony of the Pfalz with a very favorable microclimate, has been in the Müller-Catoir family since 1744. For more than a century the winery was managed by women who left a pronoun...

Picture: Helmut Dönnhoff and Annette Schiller at Weingut Dönnhoff, see: An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany The Feinschmecker Riesling Cup is an annual contest in Germany that tries to identify the best dry Rieslings of the last vintage. In 2015, the Feinschmecker...

Picture: Jean Michel Gillon ExplainingJancis Robinson MW, November 2015: Comparing the prices with my scores, I would identify the best-value 2013 Clos de Vougeot as that of Jean-Michel Guillon.We visited Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon on the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015). It was our last tasting.Pictures: Domaine Jean-Michel Guillon Jea...

Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller with Jean-René Matignon, Technical Director of ChAsteau Pichon Longueville Baron, at Ripple in Washington DCAnnette Schiller and I joined Michael Sands of Calvert and Woodley for a wonderful dining experience featuring the wines of ChAsteau Pichon Longueville Baron and ChAsteau Suduiraut, from Bordeaux's Paui...

Picture: Wine Dinner with Georg Rumpf at Weingut Kruger-RumpfWe spent the final evening of the tour (we still had 2 lovely tastings the next day, at Schloss Johannisberg with Managing Director Christian Witte and at Sektkellerei Bardong) at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf and had dinner in the lovely wine tavern of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf with Georg Rumpf, the w...

Picture: The New Germany: Dry, Red and Sparkling – Tasting at the American Wine Society (Northern Virginia Chapter) with Annette SchillerAnnette Schiller presented 10 German wines at the American Wine Society (Northern Virginia Chapter). It excluded the delicious fruity-sweet and nobles-sweet wines, Germany has become so famous for around the world...

Picture: Christian Schiller, Aymeric de Gironde, Managing Director of Cos d’Estournel, and Annette Schiller at Restaurant Ripple in Washington DCFor the past years, Panos Kakaviatos - based in Strasbourg, France - has organized a Grand Bordeaux Tasting in Washington DC at the beginning of the year, when he spends a few weeks in his hometown. This y...

Picture: Annette Schiller and Clemens Busch, Weingut Clemens Busch, in Washington DCPicture: Annette Schiller and Christian Schiller with Gernot Kollmann, Weingut Immich-Batterieberg, in New YorkPicture: Annette Schiller and Franzi Schmitt at Weingut Koehler Ruprecht in Kallstadt, PfalzDear Wine Lovers in the Washington DC area,I am sooooo excited...

Picture: Wine Dinner with Stefan and Heike Paeffgen, ChAsteau Le Reysse and ChAsteau Clos du Moulin, Vignobles Paeffgen, Appellation MédocWe left Bordeaux City in the morning towards the West in order to visit an oyster farmer at the Basin de Arcachon, followed by lunch at Pinasse Café in Cap Ferret, right on the bay. From there, we drove through t...

Picture: Tour and Tasting at Weingut Koehler Ruprecht in Kallstadt, Pfalz, with Franzi SchmidtKoehler-Ruprecht has received quite a bit of press in recent years. For several decades, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht was associated with the name of owner/ winemaker Bernd Philippi. As Armin Diehl and Joel Payne put it in the 1999 German Wine Guide: “His wine...

Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller with Christian WitteThis visit was a fitting finale and a highlight of our tour through the northern German wine regions. It is the world’s oldest Riesling wine estate going back 900 years and it was here that the “Spätlese” (Late Harvest) wine was accidently discovered. “Domänenverwalter” (Domaine Director) ...

Schiller-Wine was selected as a finalist for the 2016 Millesima Blog Awards. I am very happy. The Millesima jury selected the following posting: Tour and Tasting at ChAsteau de Fargues, Appellation Sauternes, with Prince Eudes d’Orléans – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), FranceThe posting reports about a visit of ChAsteau de Fargues, on...

Picture: Ambassador Dr. Réka Szemerkényi with Ýdám Juhász of Juhász Testvérek Pincészete, Eger, at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington DCDr. Réka Szemerkényi, who was appointed Ambassador of Hungary to the United States in 2015, invited for a wine dinner with Ýdám Juhász of Juhász Testvérek Pincészete, Eger, to the Hungarian Embassy in Washington...

Picture: Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz, with Hansjörg RebholzHansjörg and Birgit Rebholz, the third generation of the Rebholz family continue what the founder, the Ökonomierat Eduard Rebholz began: producing highly individualistic wines by working as close as possible with nature. The Rebholz wines are crystal clear,...

Picture: Annette Schiller and Stephan von Neipperg, Owner of ChAsteau Canon La Gaffelière, at the UGC Tasting in Washington DC, 2016At the beginning of the year, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC), the association of ultra-premium Bordeaux producers (excluding about a dozen or so super ultra-premium Bordeaux producers), regularly tours Nor...

Picture: Christian L. Stahl's First Appearance in the USA at Cleveland Parc Fine Wines and Liquor Store in Washington DC, with General Manager Anthony Quinn, Simone Stahl and Christian SchillerWith 3/5 grapes in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2016, Christian L. Stahl, Winzerhof Stahl, belongs to the elite of winemakers in Germany. Winzerhof...

Picture: Tasting at Weingut Gut Hermannsberg in Niederhausen, NaheWeingut Gut Hermannsberg goes back to the year 1901 when the Prussian government founded the domain on steep, rugged land in the central Nahe valley as a model operation to help revive the wine industry after the phylloxera disaster. Planting vineyards here was an extraordinary effor...

Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller at Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion in Vosne-Romanée with Bernard Rion and Alice Rion Domain Rion is widely available in the greater Washington DC area, as it is imported to the US by Elite Wines, based in Virginia.Picture: Alice Rion in Washington DC ( Photo: Cleveland Park)Domaine RionDomaine Rion is in Vosn...

Picture: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Herzog von Württemberg at Schloss Monrepos with Owner Duke Michael of Württemberg and Winemaker Moriz JustMore wine is consumed in Württemberg (per capita) than anywhere else in Germany - actually twice as much as in the rest of Germany. The German poet Friedrich von Schiller wrote already several centur...

Picture: Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, Christian Schiller, Winemaker Bob Berteau, Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State and Riesling Gurur Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Prowein 2015, see: Prowein 2015 in Düsseldorf, Germany – Schiller’s Impressions Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State and Weingut Dr. Loosen of Germany will h...

Picture: Annette Schiller in the Oyster Banks of the Basin de ArchachonIn my home country Germany, oysters are very high on the list of any food aficionado, but you do not see them often on menus in restaurants nor is there a significant number of oyster bars in Germany. By contrast, at both coasts of the US, oysters are part of daily life. In ...

Picture: Tasting at Weingut Hexamer with Harald and Petra Hexamer In the Nahe region, we visited 3 wineries on the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTorus (2015): Hexamer, Kruger-Rumpf and Hermannsberg. This posting covers the visit of Weingut Hexamer. We did a tasting in the tasting room of Weingut Hexamer. Harald and Petra Hexamer were our hosts....

Picture: Sommelier Aurélien Farrouil and Christian SchillerWe visited ChAsteau Smith-Haut-Lafitte in the morning. Following the visit and tasting we enjoyed lunch at Restaurant La Grand’ Vigne, prepared by Chef Nicolas Masse (2 stars Michelin). The restaurant is part of the Les Sources de Caudalie, a complex comprising a hotel, several restaurants ...

Pictures: Winemaker of the Year Peter Jakob Kühn (Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2016) and Christian Schiller There are 4 Wine Guides in Germany: Gault Millau, Feinschmecker, Eichelmann and Falstaff. These are all annual guides, which are released around November/December.The Eichelmann guide uses stars to rate winemakers. The best produce...

Picture: Wnemaker Johannes JülgFollowing our short detour into France (Maison Léon Beyer in Eguisheim, see: Tour and Tasting at Maison Léon Beyer in Eguisheim, Alsace, France, with Marc Beyer – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France and Domaine Weinbach in Kayersberg, see: At Domaine Weinbach in Kaysersberg, Alsace, with Catherine ...

Picture: Christian Schiller, Annette Schiller and Sommelier Paul Grieco (Terroir, Summer of Riesling) at the 2015 Rieslingfeier in New York City, USA Rieslingfeier 2016 is coming up in New York City on February 20, 2016. This is an extraordinary annual wine event – now in its fourth year – centered on German Riesling, with an impressive line-...

Picture: "Open Air" Wine Tasting at Domaine du ChAsteau de PrémeauxMany producers in the Bourgogne, in particular at the high-end, export the overwhelming share of their production. Domaine Faiveley in Nuits Saint Georges for example, which we also visited on the tour, does not sell any wine on the premises and very little in France; most of its wi...

Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller with Tony at Cleveland Park Wines in Washington DCCleveland Park Wines is one of the leading wine stores in Washington DC. It is run by “Tony” (Anthony Quinn), who is well known in the Washington DC wine circles. Tony: “We are a family-owned business and have been in business for nearly twenty years now. Over...

Picture: Christian Schiller and Peter Jakob Kühn in Kiedrich, Rheingau, see: Extraordinary Views of the Rheingau Vineyards - A Spectecular Helicopter Flight over the Rheingau with Rheingau Winemakers, GermanyGermany's Winemaker of the Year (Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2016) is Peter Jakob Kühn, Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn, in the Rheingau. Imp...

Picture: Visit and Tasting: ChAsteau Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru ClasséOverall, Bordeaux is a rather sleepy area, not well prepared to receive wine lovers from all over the world to experience the wines they love so much in the area, where the wines are made. But things are changing. Wine tourism has caught up with Bordeaux. One p...

Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller with Andreas Rings, Weingut Rings, in Frankfurt, GermanyThe Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland is the leading wine guide for German wine. Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland uses a scale of 1 to 5 grapes to rate winemakers and a scale of 1 to 100 points to rate their wines.The Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschlan...

Picture: Count Stephan von Neipperg at the UGC Tasting at Prowein 2015 in Düsseldorf, see: Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) Vintage 2012 Tasting at Prowein 2015 in Düsseldorf, GermanyBordeaux by ombiasy WineTours in September 2016This year again, Annette Schiller and I will take 10 wine lovers on our Bordeaux by ombiasy WineTour. This year’...

Picture: Dinner at La Table de Gourmet (Chef: Jean-Luc Brendel, 1 Star Michelin) in Riquewihr, Alsace, France, with Fabienne Brendel We went back to a place which impressed us already a few years ago: La Table de Gourmet, a 1 star Michelin restaurant in Riquewihr, Alsace. Last time, we combined the innovative food of Chef Jean-Luc Brendel with the ...