The Omaha
NOVEMBER 2022
Event Report: Oktoberfest with Wine Upcoming Events
What’s New We enjoyed an Oktoberfest celebration at Railcar Modern American Kitchen. Executive Chef Jared Clark has been expanding his culinary expertise, and besides Railcar, he has Timber Wood Fire Bistro and Pasta Amore restaurants. None of these offers German cuisine per se, but Chef Jared was up to the task of producing a Bavarian styled Oktoberfest dinner. But this time the main emphasis was on wine, not the more typically served beer. We did, however, have access to German beer during quaffing. Personally, I think wine went better with the meal than beer could have. Check the story out. Dr. Jeff Deeths, the Omaha Branch’s 12th president, has died. To date, he is the only Omaha Branch member who has been awarded the André Simon Gold Medal, reserved for the Chairman of the Council of Management who oversees the entire IWFS: Americas, Europe Africa, and Asia. Here is the link to the IWFS web site for the obituary. https://www.iwfs.org/americas/news/obituaries/2022/h.-jeoffrey-deeths Some members have had trouble reading the Gazette on issuu.com, Or, they don’t want to sign in, which means you can’t even read the Gazette at all. They prefer a PDF since all you have to do is click it open. We have decided to offer it in both formats. In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link. The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time. Cheers! Tom Murnan
“Nothing makes it easier to resist temptation than a proper upbringing, a sound set of values, and witnesses.” Franklin P. Jones Best of the Cockle Bur compiled & edited by Harry B. Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974
Event Report: Oktoberfest with Wine Written by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, Bavaria, to honor the marriage of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of SaxeHildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities on a field in front of the city gate. The field was named Theresienwiese, or Theresa’s meadow and is still in use today. Originally, Oktoberfest ran from 16 to 18 days, ending on the first Sunday in October. Now they try to include German Unity Day, October 3rd, which may extend the festival to 18 days. Most people think Oktoberfest is all about drinking beer (which must be brewed in the city of Munich), and they would be mostly correct. But historically, there was some wine served in the king’s tent. Event Producer, Mike Wilke, decided, since we are a wine and food society, to have an emphasis on wine, but there were four German beers available during quaffing. Plus, Railcar co-owner Matt Burbach brought his interesting collection of German Steins to decorate the tables and our dining area. Executive Chef Jared Clark did as wonderful job of selecting and executing a great menu. The German meatballs were succulent and tasty, and the house made pretzel balls were soft and enhanced by three sauces. I liked the Beer Cheese sauce the best. Traditional made grilled Bratwurst were smoked, then grilled. This was compared to House Made Weisswurst, which was steamed. We had two Pinot Noirs to compare. The Burgundy was Domaine Daniel Rion Nuits St Georges Les Hauts Pruliers 2014 and the contrast was Sonoma Loeb Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir 2015. The Rion was a bit more minerally and had a lot of stuffing. Duck Schnitzel with Red Wine Braised Cabbage and Dumplings was compared to Sauerbraten. The duck was breaded and deep fat fried, a bit dry, while the beef had some sauce and was nicely moist. We compared a Château Gazin Pomerol 2010 to a Duckhorn Three Palms Merlot 2016. The Bordeaux was structured and lightly tannic, while the Napa Valley was quite fruity and softer. Our main course was a massive Pork Osso Bucco with Warm German Potato Salad and Natural Jus. Three people could have eaten this one delicious joint. The Château Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011 was the wine of the evening, I thought. So smooth and harmonious compared to the Adriano Maro e Vittoria Basardin Barbaresco 2014. Dessert was Local Apple Strudel, with local apples and House Made vanilla Ice cream. The Château Doisy Vedrines Sauternes was a good match. It was Andi Kafka’s 75th birthday, so we were also treated to birthday cake. Thanks to Chef Jared, Matt Burbach and all the staff for giving us great German festival food.
2022 UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS
NOV
20 DEC
11 JAN
7
STAG
Dynamite Wood Fired Grille Wine Tasting with a Master Sommelier Producer: Dave Thrasher
JOINT EVENT WITH THE COUNCIL BLUFFS BRANCH HOLIDAY WINE DINNER Happy Hollow Club Producer: Duke Matz
2023
52ND ANNUAL STAG
Venue TBD Producers: Mike Wilke and Tad Singer