Registration Advisory: Please read through the complete program description before registering. This series includes wine tasting kits as part of its ticket price that must be picked up in Washington, DC.
Note: These programs can be purchased separately. Registration for this series will end by 9 a.m. ET on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Spend three fascinating evenings expanding your knowledge of wine as you travel the world with sommelier Erik Segelbaum in a series of delectable wine-tasting adventures. Each immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
April 21 In a New York State of Wine
New York wine has been pleasing palates and wowing enophiles for ages. The vineyards surrounding the Finger Lakes have proven time and time again to produce wines on a world-class scale. Segelbaum leads a tasty, in-depth session focused on the red and white varieties that grow best in the state, as well as explores some up-and-coming varieties that are being pioneered in New York's appellations. This is a can’t-miss for any lover of bright, elegant, and complex wines.
May 19 Wein-derlust: Exploring Austrian Wine
Austria has a long and storied history of producing extraordinary, high-acid, and fresh wines. Whether it's bone-dry Rieslings or Austria's heritage grape, Grüner Veltliner, its whites are guaranteed palate pleasers and are exceptionally food-friendly. But Austria has so much more to offer. Native reds like Blaufrânkish (Lemberger), Zweigel, and St. Laurent shine brightly, as do international varieties like Pinot Noir (Spâtburgunder). This delightful session will have you drinking like a sommelier in no time.
June 23 Deutschland Entkorkt: Uncorking Germany’s Best
Germany has some of the world's most challenging vineyards to maintain. Steep slopes, eroding hills, and climate change all collaborate to make viticulture a harrowing challenge for even the most seasoned winemaker. However, the effort is well worth it. The country’s wines are mainstays of any sommelier's toolkit for food-and-wine pairings. It’s here where Riesling finds its ancestral home and is readily consumed in all styles from bone-dry to semi-sweet. Fresh, bright, and food-friendly reds are also comfortably at home in German vineyards and on dinner tables all over the world. Segelbaum is joined by Amy Waller, ambassador of Wines of Germany for the US, for a delicious exploration of the wines of Germany and their rich histories.
Wine Tasting Kit Information
- The cost includes curated personal tasting kits with enough wine for one person to sample the full lineup of wines.
- Additional participants must register individually to receive their own tasting kits, which is an essential component of the series.
- Kits are available during two scheduled pick-up times the day before the program and the day of the program, 12–4 p.m.
- April 21: S. Dillon Ripley Center (1100 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC)
- May 19 and June 23: Restaurant Chloe (1331 4th St SE, Washington, DC)
- NOTE: Patrons will receive additional wine tasting kit pick-up information by email prior to the program.
- Due to state and federal laws, Smithsonian Associates cannot ship wine kits. However, SOMLYAY may be able to provide kits to participants outside the Washington, D.C., area (who must cover shipping costs). Please contact erik@thesomlyay.com for more information.
About Erik Segelbaum
Erik Segelbaum is a Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker for 2020 and Food & Wine magazine’s 2019 Sommelier of the Year. He holds the designation of Advanced Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, one of fewer than 600 specialists in the world who hold this level of certification. Segelbaum is the former corporate wine and beverage director for Starr Restaurants, a wine journalist and educator, and chief vinnovation officer of SOMLYAY hospitality and private events consultancy.
General Information
