Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Giorgio Fragiacomo of Agricola Querciabella at Open Kitchen in Falls Church, VirginiaQuerciabella's Giorgio Fragiacomo was in town (Washington DC area) and presented his ultra-premium Querciabella wines at Open Kitchen in Falls Church, Virginia. Open Kitchen Culinary Director Christopher Carey had prepared Tusca...

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with Owners Sarah O'Herron and Ed Boyce, Black Ankle Vineyards and Owner and Chef Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, at Black Ankle Vineyards in MarylandIn connection with the 5th annual Drink Local Wine Conference in Baltimore in Maryland, USA (May 14, 2013), about 40 wine bloggers, columnists and write...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Henri Lurton at CityZen in Washington DCHenri Lurton of ChÃ-teau Brane-Cantenac was in town (Washington DC) for 24 hours and invited a small group of wine writers/bloggers/officials to have dinner with him at CityZen: Karen Taylor (France Magazine), Michael Besche (Commanderie de Bordeaux), and Lou Marmon (Grape...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Peter Schmitz, Weingut Schmitz-Herges in Bernkastel-Kues in the Mosel Valley, having an Auslese trockenAn ultra-premium German dry wine can be labeled differently, depending on who has made the wine. Basically, you have to distinguish between 6 groups of winemakers and thus labelings: (1) The VDP non-Rheingau w...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Michael McGarry, Co-owner of Sugar Loaf Mountain Vineyard, with the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard 2010 EVOE that won the best red wine awardThe 5th annual Drink Local Wine Conference in Baltimore in Maryland (May 14, 2013) was a day about Maryland wine. The highlight was clearly the grand tasting of Maryland wines...

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller and Anthony Hamilton Russell. Hamilton Russell Vineyards is a producer of outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardoannay wines in the Hemel en Aarde (Heaven and Earth) valley, just behind the seaside resort of Hermanus in Walker Bay. The 2011 Chardonnay is on of this year's 5 star wines.For more see:Burgundy Wines in South...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Thibaud Mandet, Winemaker of the WillaKenzie Estate in OregonThibaud Mandet, the winemaker of the WillaKenzie Estate in Oregon, was in town (Washington DC region) and presented his wines at Open Kitchen in Falls Church.See also:A German Riesling Dinner at Open Kitchen in Washington DC, USA WillaKenzie Estate in ...

Pictures: Annette Schiller, ombiasy wine tours, Anne Cuvelier and Chef Daniel Singhofen at Eola in Washington DC, USAAnne Cuvelier, from the Cuvelier family (that owns, inter alia, ChÃ-teau Léoville-Poyferré in St. Julien, Bordeaux), was in town (Washington DC) for the Heart's Delight Events. On the side, she organized, assisted by Annette Schil...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Alfred Tesseron, Owner of ChÃ-teau Pontet-Canet at Heart's Delight 2013. For more see: Tasting with Alfred Tesseron the last 10 Vintages of ChÃ-teau Pontet-Canet in Washington DC, USA/France. The Bordeaux Tour in September 2013 organized by Annette Schiller (see below) will include an event at Pontet-CanetHear...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller at ChÃ-teau Margaux in MargauxChÃ-teau Margaux in Margaux is one of the 5 Premiers Grands Crus Chateaux in the Classification of 1855.See:The 5 Premiers Grands Crus Chateaux en 1855 of Bordeaux, France HistoryThe history of ChÃ-teau Margaux goes back to the 12th Century, when the property was known as La Mothe de Ma...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Ernst Loosen at Rasika in Washington DC Ernst Loosen was in town (Washington DC) and I had a chance to meet him and taste his wines several times. A highlight was a tête-à-tête dinner at the trendy Indian fusion restaurant Rasika. Ernst Loosen is a charismatic figure and has done loads for promoting German Ri...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Stuart Pigott in Frankfurt, Germany: Stuart Pigott at the Weinhalle in Frankfurt am Main, Germany In the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung of December 9, 2012, German wine journalist Stuart Pigott published his favorite German wines and favorite German wine makers of the year “ in German. This posting prov...

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller at Hennessey in Cognac Cognac is a brandy named after the town of Cognac. For a brandy to bear the name Cognac - an AOC - it must meet a number of requirements, as is the case for all AOCs.The Cognac area extends along the banks of the Charente all the way to the Atlantic coast. The entire Cognac vineyard covers ar...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Shane Finley from Shane Wine Cellars in CaliforniaWinemaker Shane Finley from Sonoma County was in town “ the Washington DC area “ to present his new wines.Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Shane Finley in 2011 in VirginiaSee:The Wine House Presented Winemaker Shane Finley from Russian River Valley in Califor...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller at ChÃ-teau FigeacChÃ-teau Figeac is in the northwest of the Saint-Émilion appellation, neighboring ChÃ-teau Cheval Blanc. With 40 hectares of vineyards, it is the largest estate in Saint-Émilion. Its grand vin release price for the 2010 vintage was Euro 168 ex-negociant. I recently had the pleasure to spend a few...

Picture: Thomas Schlumberger and Christian G.E. Schiller at Bistro Lepic, Washington DCIf you want to eat in Washington DC as close as possible to as you would in a restaurant in the countryside in France, you have to go to Bistro Lepic in Georgetown. Not at all fancy food, but good, basic French cuisine.Pictures: Bistro LepicThe restaurant is on t...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Robert B. Deford, President, at Bordy Winery in Maryland In connection with the 5th annual Drink Local Wine Conference in Baltimore in Maryland, USA (May 14, 2013), about 40 wine bloggers, columnists and writers toured wine country Maryland. I have reported about it here: At the Fifth Annual Drink Local Wine ...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Joachim and Silvia Heger, Weingut Dr. Heger. Joachim Heger won the Eichelmann Best Red Wine Collection Award; Joachim Heger is also the Gault Millau WeinGuide 2013 Winemaker of the YearSee more:Joachim Heger, Weingut Dr. Heger: Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2013, Germany There are 3 i...

Picture: Reiner Flick, Weingut Joachim Flick, and Christian G.E. Schiller in HochheimWeingut Joachim Flick in Floersheim-Wicker near Hochheim in the Rheingau was recently successfully FairChoice “ which falls into the group of sustainable winemaking - certified. This posting profiles Weingut Joachim Flick.Green WinemakingThere are many winemakers ...

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Ed Boyce and Sarah O'Herron, Black Ankle Vineyards, MarylandThe 5th annual Drink Local Wine Conference in Baltimore in Maryland (May 14, 2013) was a day about Maryland wine. Interesting panel discussions in the morning were followed by a luncheon with Maryland wines and a grand tasting featuring the wines of Mar...

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller and Christine and Franz Netzl in Göttlesbrunn in the Carnuntum The Fallstaff RotweinGuide 2013, a wine guide for Austrian red wine, was released in December 2012 in Vienna, Austria. In the Fallstaff RotweinGuide 2013, more than 1000 wines of almost 400 winemakers are described on 306 pages. This key reference for ...

Picture: The Quai de Chartons (Painting at Millesima in Bordeaux City)Wine maker Doug Fabbioli from Fabbioli Cellars in Virginia sells the wine he produces during the course of the year to the consumers who show up at his winery and by the wine directly from him. Wine maker Ernst Loosen from Dr. Loosen in the Mosel Valley in Germany, whose wines ar...

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller and Julia Zuccardi, Familia Zuccardi Winery from Argentina, in Washington DCToday, April 17, is World Malbec Day. When people talk about Malbec, at least in the US, they talk about Malbec from Argentina. Indeed, over the course of last 20 years, Malbec has become Argentina's signature grape and Argentina now grows...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Count Stefan von Neipperg in St. Emilion at ChÃ-teau Canon La GaffelièreOne of the highlights of a recent tour of Bordeaux was a morning with Count Stefan von Neipperg in St. Emilion at ChÃ-teau Canon La Gaffelière. Count Stefan was in a very good mood this morning and had plenty of reasons to be so: ChÃ-teau...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Wine Blogger Panos Kakaviatos. Panos runs the blog Connections to Wine and also writes for the Decanter. For more on Panos Kakaviatos, see:A Glass of Bordeaux “ What Else? “ With Wine Journalist Panos Kakaviatos The Organizers of the American Wine Bloggers Conference have made an attempt to compile an as comple...

Picture: WelmoedCalling itself the company of wine people , Welmoed is a South African Wine Co-operative with a broad portfolio. Welmoed is still housed in a wine farm that dates back to 1690, halfway between Stellenbosch and the False Bay. Welmoed has released the following on the company's blog.----------------------------------------------------...

Picture: The Wines of Chateau Léoville PoyferréEola and ombiasy Wine Tours are excited to announce that we are hosting a winemaker dinner on May 1th - reception starts at 6:30 pm - with the wines of Chateau Léoville Poyferré, 2ieme Grand Cru Classé en 1855, appellation Saint-Julien.Please join us in welcoming Anne Cuvelier, our guest of hono...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Wilhelm Weil in KiedrichFor more:Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, GermanyTasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, GermanyThere are 3 influential wine guides in Germany: the Eichelmann and the GaultMillau, followed by the Feinschmecker. The 2013 Eichelmann wa...

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with Kai Buhrfeind (Grand Cru) and with Oliver Donnecker (Heimat)In Frankfurt am Main, when I just want to have a drink, I have 4 options.First, I can drive over to Mainz and go to one of the many excellent wine taverns there. Wines tend to be entry level wines from the region.See: Schiller's Favorite Wine Taverns ...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Martin Tesch in New York CityBerlin-based German wine journalist has crowned Martin Tesch, Weingut Tesch, in his lists of favorites, published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in December 2012: Martin Tesch is his Winemaker of the Year. Stuart Pigott in the FAZ: Typically, the "Winemaker of the Year" ...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud at ChÃ-teau Bel-Air la Royère Chateau Bel Air La Royere in Blaye is not one of the 300 so winemakers in Bordeaux, who produce a premium Bordeaux that sells en primeur for hundred of Euros and more per bottle. Chateau Bel Air La Royere is one of the other 15.000 wine makers that are not ...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Wilhelm Weil. Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany and Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany and German Riesling and International Grape Varieties “ Top Wine Makers Wilhelm Weil and Markus Schneider at Kai Buhrfeindt's Grand Cru in Frank...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Dan Dineen, Co-winemaker and Co-owner of Maude in New ZealandDan Dineen, co-winemaker and co-owner of Maude in New Zealand was in town and Michael Pearce, who owns and runs the Wine House in Fairfax, Northern Virginia, whose brother is a friend of Dan Dineen, took advantage of Dan's visit and invited him over fo...

Picture: Phil Bernstein in Washington DCFor a number of years now, around this time, one of the best German wine retailers in the USA, Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages, has been making a presentation at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) on the new vintage. This time, it was vintage 2011. He brought 5 flights plus a special treat....

Picture: The Tasters - (from left to right) Christian Schiller (schiller-wine) Isaac James Baker (Reading, Writing and Wine) Annette Schiller (Ombiasy Wine Tours) Aaron Nix-Gomez (Hogshead Wine) David White (Terroirist) Frank Morgan (Drink What You Like) Virginia wineries continue to gain national and international recognition. 10 of them recently ...

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller and Doug Lehmann at Pearson's in Washington DCIn recent years, I have tasted Syrah/Shiraz with winemakers around the world. In this posting, I am recalling a number of these tastings, with winemakers from ChÃ-teauneuf-du-Pape, South Africa, Paso Robles, Berkeley, Austria, Washington State, Oregon and Australia (in ...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Kai Schaetzel in NiersteinSee: Celebrating Riesling and my Birthday at Weingut Schaetzel in Nierstein, Rheinhessen, GermanyA New Fixture in the Reemerging Red Slope of Nierstein - Visiting Kai Schaetzel and his Weingut Schaetzel in Nierstein, Rheinhessen, GermanyThe Gault Millau WineGuide Deutschland 2013 incl...

Picture: Gabriella Opaz and Christian G.E. Schiller at the EWBC 2011 in ItalyThe sixth annual EWBC Digital Wine Communications Conference will be held in Logroño (Spain) on October 25-27, 2013.The only international conference dedicated to the convergence of wine and the web, the EWBC - digital wine communications conference is a three-day event t...

Picture: Rappahannock Oyster Bar at Union Market in Washington DCIn 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, in France, oysters are almost a daily staple, at least during the seas...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Gregory Dal Piaz in Italy. He is #34 on the list. IntoWine.com: "Gregory Dal Piaz: is editor in chief at Snooth Media, a technology-driven media company that is a leader in delivering wine, spirits, and food content to the epicurean consumer with online articles, wine reviews and a purchasing site. Snooth Me...

Pictures: The Dining TableWe had a dinner at our house in McLean, Virginia. We were 8 people. Annette Schiller did the cooking. Annette felt it was the most sophisticated meal she had ever prepared.In terms of the wines, the highlight was the 2003 Cos d'Estournel, Saint-Estephe, followed by a side by side tasting of a 1996 ChÃ-teau d'Yquem and a 19...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with François Mitjavile at his Tertre Rôtebeouf - A Saint Emilion Cult Wine ProducerTertre Rôtebeouf is one of the finest chÃ-teaux in Saint-Emilion. Yet, it is not classified. And, it is not part of the spring hype when the en primeur releases take place. That is so, because François Mitjavile is far away fr...

Picture: Richmond Times-DispatchAn article by Jack Berninger in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginia (USA) referring to and quoting noted wine blogger Christian Schiller .--------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------A Virginia sparkling wine is lighting up the state, even the East Coast of the United States.The ...

Picture: Gary ChevskyThis is a re-release of a posting by Gary Chevsky of the Iron Chevsky Wine Blog, in which he recommends Christian Schiller's most informative blog . This is about Austrian wines.---------------------------------------------------------------- --------Gruner Veltliner for Christmas?Best darn rack of pork I've ever had, courtesy o...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Ulrich Allendorf at Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich Winkel. Fore more, see: Lighting and the Flavor of Wine - With Winemaker Ulrich Allendorf in his Aroma Vineyard and Color Room at Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich Winkel, Rheingau, Germany Reknown German wine journalist Mario Scheuermann has updated his list of...

Pictures: Christian G.E. Schiller with "die Claudia und de Louie" - Claudia Olschowski and Louie Hoelzinger, Partners in Live and BusinessI grew up with apple wine in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Although there are 3 beer breweries in Frankfurt and the world renowned Rheingau and Rheinhessen wine regions just 30 minutes away from Frankfurt by S-Bahn...

Picture: Heidsieck et Cie MonopolI recently published a posting about French Champagne Houses with German roots, i.e. Champagne producers that were founded by Germans. Carolyne Henry pointe out to me that one name that was definitely missing was Heidsick Champagne.See more:French Champagne Houses and German Roots Heidsieck & CoFlorens-Louis Hei...

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Wilhelm Weil. Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany and Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany and German Riesling and International Grape Varieties “ Top Wine Makers Wilhelm Weil and Markus Schneider at Kai Buhrfeindt's Grand Cru in Frankfu...

Pictures: Annette Schiller, Clemens Busch, Christian G.E. Schiller and Helmuth Doennhoff Led by Annette Schiller and Christian Schiller, a Wine and Culture Trip to Germany is coming up, August 22 - 30, 2013, organized by Annette Schiller (Ombiasy Wine Tours).Pictures: The wine taverns Spitzhaeuschen in Bernkastel-Kues and Weinhaus Bluhm in MainzSee...