HAPPY HOLIDAYS! REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THE GERMAN WINE SOCIETY HOLIDAY DINNER AT THE COSMOS CLUB, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2025, 6 pm – 10 pm
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 12, 2025 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 and New York Riesling wines, two sparkling, six whites and a red, among them three 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, salmon and duck, as well as a vegan “Chef’s Choice” alternative. 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!
Location: The address for our holiday dinner is 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, 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 no longer requiring proof of vaccination., 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. Mask use when arriving is optional.
Menu: The paired menu will be as follows:
Welcome Reception with passed hors d’oeuvres
Chicken Yakitori Skewers with sweet chili aioli
Endive Boat with blue cheese, candied walnuts, anchovy-lemon vinaigrette
Smoked Salmon Latkes – potato latke, dill creme fraiche, marinated cucumber
2022 Staatsweinkellerei Eberbach Riesling Sekt Brut (12.5% alc.)
2015 Raumland Blanc de Noirs Cuvee Marie-Luise Sekt Brut, Rheinhessen (12% alc.)
First (Appetizer) Course
Compressed Apple Salad with candied walnuts, local greens, dried cherries, crumbled feta, cranberry dressing
Cosmos Club Popovers with sweet creamery butter
2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Weissburgunder Trocken, Pfalz (12% alc.) WS 89
2024 Dr. Konstantin Frank Eugenia Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York (12% alc.) WS 90
Entree Course (choose one dish when registering)
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with carrot puree, roasted mushroom, crispy sun chokes, morel cognac sauce
Fennel Spiced Duck Breast with fall squash risotto, plumped cherries, compressed fennel, pepita crumble
Everything Crusted Salmon with roasted brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, compressed fennel, dill, mustard barre blanc
“Chef’s Choice” Gluten Free Vegan Meal (specific dish to be determined)
2024 Dr. Konstantin Frank Reserve Riesling Medium-Sweet, Finger Lakes, New York (11% alc.)
2022 Meyer-Näkel Frühburgunder, Ahr (13% alc.) WE 91
2014 Fitz-Ritter Gewürztraminer Spätlese, Pfalz (9.5% alc.) WE 87
Dessert Course
Chocolate Mousse Cake, with berries, berry coulis
2023 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, Nahe (8.5% alc.) JS 99, VM 97
2021 Karl Erbes Ürziger in der Kranklei Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel (6% alc.) WA 98
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.
Prices: The dinner price, varying by entree selected, is:
Grilled Beef Tenderloin $250 members/$260 non-members
Everything Crusted Salmon $240 members/$250 non-members
Fennel Spiced Duck Breast $240 members/$250 non-members
Vegan “Chef’s Choice” $230 members/$240 non-members
If you are not sure of your current membership status, please contact the Chapter President and Secretary, Carl Willner, at carl.willner1@verizon.net before ordering to confirm. Membership costs $35 annually for an individual or couple, and can be paid online using our website and PayPal, or by check, in the same way and at the same time as registering for the event.
When and How to Register: The deadline for reservations is Friday, December 5, 2025 so that we may provide the chef with an accurate count of total guests as well as the entrees chosen for each guest, and allow time for place cards for each guest to be made. No late reservations can be allowed for this event due to these club requirements. This promises to be a wonderful event so please make your reservations right away and don’t miss out!
There are two ways to join in the fun. You can register on our website, http://germanwinesocietydc.org, and pay online for the event using PayPal. If you do not already have an account on our website, you will need to set one up. There are separate buttons to choose each entree menu option, and for members and non-members, to reflect the varying prices. An email message to the Secretary at carl.willner1@verizon.net to let us know who is having each entree option is requested, if there are multiple guests on the reservation with different entree preferences – otherwise, we will need to reach out to you. Or, you can submit a check for the event to our Chapter President and Secretary, Carl Willner, payable to the German Wine Society, at the following address and using the form below, and making sure to note your entree preference for each guest. Any member dues that may be owed can also be paid online or by check. Please include names, number of guests, email and phone number.
Carl Willner
1014 Reserve Champion Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
Tours: The Cosmos Club has advised us that tours of the historic club mansion for interested guests are once again possible, as in past years. Availability of tours will depend on willingness of members who are also Cosmos Club members to conduct them, but we understand that one or more Cosmos Club members will agree to lead tours. If you would like to participate in a tour, please reply to this message and let us know of your interest, and you will be advised at a later date when to arrive for a tour (usually either an hour before the event, or at the end of the event).
Questions about Event: The event organizer is Carl Willner, who can be reached by email at carl.willner1@verizon.net, or at 202-674-9044. Please contact him with any questions, including current membership status, or correspondence in response to this email.
All Society Members and guests are reminded that drinking alcohol can lead to intoxication, and therefore Society members and their guests are expected to drink in moderation at Society events. It is advisable to provide designated drivers or other alternative modes of transit to driving where available, or mostly to taste rather than fully consume alcohol where such drivers or alternative modes of transit are not available.
If you no longer wish to receive our announcements, please reply to this email to our Secretary, Carl Willner.
If registering by mail, please cut and return the reservation form portion of the notice below – do not mail the entire notice.
Reservation form for GERMAN WINE SOCIETY HOLIDAY DINNER AT THE COSMOS CLUB, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2025, 7 pm – 10 pm (with registration and welcome beginning at 6:00 pm)