FLXCURSION 2026

We are thrilled to host an exciting evening seminar at the Smith Opera House with Valerie Kathawala and Paula Redes Sidore, the brilliant duo behind TRINK Magazine, the only English-language publication devoted to the wines of Alsace, Austria, Germany, South Tyrol, and Switzerland.
Trink Magazine presents TRINK: UNBOUND, a live podcast format bringing Valerie Kathawala and Paula Redes Sidore’s sharp, thoughtful perspective to FLXcursion for a dynamic conversation on how historic wine identities are evolving in real time. Together, Valerie and Paula will explore the tension between tradition and modernity, from climate change and shifting bureaucracy to Germany’s 2026 classification rollout and the Finger Lakes’ movement toward single-vineyard delineation. The conversation will also examine the stylistic shift beyond rigid categories, including the pivot from Prädikat to Landwein in Germany and parallel conversations taking place in the United States.
Finally, the seminar will look at wine through the lens of structure, phenolics, and texture, considering what white wine producers are learning from red wine techniques and how these evolving practices are reshaping the way we understand style, place, and identity.

A conversation with growers from Germany, Austria, and the FLX.

1st Hour — Panel 1: Rewriting the Rules. An exploration of evolving wine laws and classification in Germany/Austria, how growers work within and outside these rules, and how FLX is developing in this context.

2nd Hour — Panel 2: The Style Shift. A look at Riesling’s evolution in structure, texture, and phenolics — from skin ferments to traditional method Sekt — and what’s driving this shift in farming, climate, and cellar technique.


EVENT'S WINE LIST:

1. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Kirchenstück or Jesuitengarten Riesling GG ('21 and '23) (Pfalz, Germany)
2. A.J. Adam 2024 Dhroner Hofberg Riesling (Mosel, Germany)
3. Nikolaihof 2019 Steiner Hund Riesling (Wachau, Austria)
4. Apollo's Praise "The Knoll" Riesling (Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, NY)
5. Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling (Pfalz, Germany)
6. Fio Pet Nat "Piu-Piu" (Mosel, Germany)
7. Weingut Knewitz (Rheinhessen, Germany)
8. Weingut Sommer Handwerk Riesling 2022 (Leithaberg, Austria)
9. Jurtschitsch Heiligenstein Riesling (oldest available vintage vs. most recent) (Kamptal, Austria)
10. Hermann J. Wiemer — Flower Day (BD) / Skin Ferment (Standing Stone) / HJW Bio (Finger Lakes, NY)
11. Dr. Frank Riesling Nature Sparkling (Finger Lakes, NY)
12. Dr. Lippold Riesling Sekt Brut Nature (Mosel, Germany)