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TThe he WWine ine PPressressVolume 49, Issue 3 ocws.org March 2025CALENDARpage 20FROM CAROLYNpage 2WINEMAKERS page 8WINE PROGRAM page 4Decade of ExcellenceStory & Photos by Greg RislingWhen winemaker Richard Krum-wiede opened up the email from the Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition, he thought it was a joke.He was informed that his 2017 Gren-ache had taken the top prize in the com-petition, beating out 2,700 other entries.see WINEMAKER, page 17Richard Krumwiede and wife Eliza-beth in their production facility (top) and their tasting room (above).
Most of you are familiar with our nine board members who oversee our events and programming, but there are also many others who work on events and committees deserving recognition.In preparation for the Wine Auction coming up next month, a group of dedicated volunteers under the direction of former president and board member Bill Redding are working each week to pull over 1,000 lots of wine for you to bid on. That’s over 4,000 bottles of wine! Assisting in these efforts is Kevin Coy, who serves as our Cellarmaster.If you are reading this article, then you are experiencing The Wine Press, our monthly newsletter put together expertly by Greg and Cathy Risling. They are continuing a great tradition that began in the 1980s. Hats off to them for wrangling content and articles from the many individuals who contribute to each issue.A shout out to our photographer Jim Burk, who attends events with his camera in tow. In addition to taking photos of our events, he also chairs the photography committee, which decides the monthly winner for the photo contest. If you haven’t entered any of your wine-related photos yet, you should really consider doing so.The OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition Committee started work on the 2025 edition a few months ago, and they too put in many hours to make our competition one of the largest in the nation. Fran Gitsham oversees the competition crew, and my heartfelt thanks goes out to her and everyone on her team for the work they do almost year-round to maintain our agship event.Another group of warriors who puts in thousands of hours each year are the cataloguing crew under the direction of Teri and John Lane. Without them, we would not have a Commercial Wine Competition.A few years ago, I started developing a marketing team to help promote our 2 ocws.org March 20252024-25 Board of Directors Carolyn ChristianPresidentCarolyn@OCWS.orgFran GitshamVice PresidentFran@OCWS.orgRich SkoczylasSecretaryRich@OCWS.orgFred HeineckeTreasurerFred@OCWS.orgSue EnglandDirectorSue@OCWS.orgLinda FleminsDirectorLinda@OCWS.orgDaniel VlahovicDirectorDaniel@OCWS.orgCL KeedyDirectorCLKeedy@ocws.orgPresident’s Message By Carolyn ChristianIJohn LaneDirectorJohn@OCWS.orgorganization and it has grown signicantly over the years. Our organization has so many members with years of experience in their respective elds. I call the team the Marketing Mavens and this group works behind the scenes drafting e-blasts and social media posts, creating marketing materials like brochures and postcards and developing new ways to promote the OCWS and all that we do. I send a special personal thank you to all of them for helping us promote our brand.From the membership committee comes the new OCWS Friends Program. Headed by Alice Polser, this program will pair seasoned OCWS members with new members to help them feel more comfortable at events. I am really excited about the possibilities with this program. Look for more information over the next few months.When I rst joined OCWS in 1986, our ofce was constantly buzzing with activity. Over the last several years, we have moved online for many of our functions and meetings. But one constant is our ofce and paid staff who keep the organization running smoothly. A big thank you to our staff: Lynda Edwards and Rochelle Randel, who keep us organized and handle the day-to-day operations; Charles English, who helps keep our nances in order; and Wendy Taylor, who manages our website and online presence. A special thank you to Stacey Taylor, who helps us with website upgrades and special projects.The Winemakers Group can be credited with starting OCWS back in 1976. Thanks to Ed Reyes, who has been heading this group for the past few years. They carry on the great tradition of mentoring new winemakers and making some great wines. If you have any interest in making wine, check out their events and classes, or reach out to them for information and assistance on making wine.see PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE, page 3t is hard to believe that we are in the third month of the year already. In my President’s Message this month, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize many of the unsung heroes of the Orange County Wine Society.
There are literally hundreds of volunteers and without them we would not exist. I have only mentioned a few here, but please know that I see and appreciate each one of you. I am always thrilled at events to see the level of commitment and pride each one of you has in this organization. We’ve been going for 49 years, and you, our volunteers, are the reason why.The number of volunteer opportunities with OCWS is endless. Consider volunteering at one of our events for set-up, check-in, pouring wine or clean-up. We have dozens of volunteer opportunities March 2025 ocws.org 3New Members CORNERThe Orange County Wine Society extends a warm welcome to its newest members. Member-ships for the following members were approved by the Board of Directors at the February meeting: Cherryl Baker, Jeffrey Blancq, Stephanie Burtin and Dirk Heck-el, Bob and Lisa Hart, Alexandra Jevtic and Tom Noad. As of March 1, the OCWS has 1,023 members. For new members logging on to their account for the rst time, log on to our website, OCWS.org. Your default login is the primary member’s email address. The default password is the primary member’s zip code. Both may be changed under the My Account tab once you log on. If you joined us online, then you will have created your password. There may only be one login/password per membership.—Rochelle Randel, OCWS Business AdministratorThe Wine PressStaff BoxThe Wine Press is the ofcial newsletter of the Orange County Wine Society, Inc. The newsletter is published monthly. The Wine Press welcomes input from the OCWS membership. Please forward comments, questions and suggestions to Editor@ocws.orgExecutive EditorsCathy RislingGreg RislingContributing WritersOCWS Board of DirectorsJim BurkDamian ChristianAlice PolserRochelle RandelEd ReyesWebsite AdministratorWendy TaylorOCWS PhotographerJim BurkCopyright (c)2025 Orange County Wine Society, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.The Orange County Wine Society is a non-prot 501(c)(3) educational organization incorporated under the laws of the State of California with its principal place of business in Costa Mesa, California.Orange County Wine SocietyP.O. Box 11059Costa Mesa, CA 92627Phone: (714) 708-1636Fax: (714) 546-5002Website: OCWS.orgOCWS Email: Ofce@OCWS.org 2024 Wine Competition Results:WineCompetition.comPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, from page 2for our larger events as well. The Wine Auction, OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, OC Fair Home Wine Competition and The Courtyard at the OC Fair have both active and sedentary volunteer positions. These events provide unique experiences to learn more about wine, meet OCWS members and winemakers and share in the organization’s success. To volunteer for an event, please check the event articles posted online for instructions on how to volunteer or contact the event chair.I look forward to seeing you at one of our future events. Cheers to you all!New OCWS members are invited to a New Member Mixer 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 27. At this free Orange County Wine So-ciety event, new members can meet other new members and the Board of Directors as well as learn more about the many events OCWS has to offer.This event is restricted to new mem-bers who joined on or after May 1, 2023, and who have not previously attended a new member mixer. To sign up, go to OCWS.org, log on to your OCWS account, and look for the New Member Mixer under Events. The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 18. The exact location will be emailed three to ve days prior to the event.The attire is casual (event will be out-doors, weather permitting). Wine, water and light appetizers will be served. This is an invitation-only event.If you have never logged on to your OCWS account, your username is the email of the primary member on your account and your password is your zip code. You will be prompted to change your password the rst time you log in. If you have issues accessing your account, please contact the OCWS ofce staff at (714) 708-1636 for assistance.Hope to see you there!—Daniel Vlahovic, New Member Mixer ChairNew Member MIXERFree event open to new OCWS members
Winery Program MCV Wines6:30 p.m.Friday, March 14, 2025Hilton Hotel3050 Bristol St.Costa Mesa, CASign-Up Deadline:Sunday, March 9Matthew Villard, the passionate owner and winemaker behind MCV, has his love for wine blos-soming around the family dinner table. After graduating from the University of California Davis, he embarked on internships at Quintessa Winery, Justin Winery and Vineyard, Gainey Vineyards, Chalone Vineyard and BV.MCV has undergone a re-markable transformation since its humble beginnings in Morro Bay in 2011. Relocating to Paso Robles in 2020 presented its share of obstacles, but it also brought fresh insights, partnerships and exciting possibilities for valued MCV guests. Matt’s aspiration is to welcome both his loyal members and new visitors to experience his wines, in-dulge in delightful cheese pairings, embark on winery tours, savor exquisite meals in the barrel room and witness rsthand the exhilarat-ing energy of the MCV harvest.Through these experiences, Matt honed his winemaking skills and developed a deep under-standing of the craft. Today, he brings this knowledge and exper-tise to MCV, infusing each bottle with his unwavering passion and commitment to quality. From vine to glass, Matt’s dedication shines through in every sip of MCV wine.—Rich Skoczylas, Winery Program CoordinatorMenuMenuDinner begins with a salad of vine-ripened tomatoes and buffa-lo mozzarella, basil olive oil and cracked pepper with balsamic modena drizzle, rolls and butterEntree Options:• Chicken piccata, served with chef’s choice starch and vegetables• Grilled salmon let with white beans, peas, olives, tiny tomatoes, asparagus and virgin lemon olive oil• Broccoli rabe, roasted eggplant and portobello mushroom, rolled in smoked tomato and grilled scallion purée$62 members, $67 guestsEach attendee must pick up a menu card with their name to show the server the entree selected.Dinner begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. Arriving before this time will make it easier for you to nd a seat. After dinner, we will have a short presentation about upcoming events. A meal ticket will be at the check-in table for you to show the waiter your entrée. Be sure to pick up your meal ticket when you check in. Meals are ordered in advance and cannot be changed at the event. Please se-lect your meal carefully, and be sure to wear your name tag.Members may bring their own wine to enjoy and share during din-ner. Please drink responsibly.Because we contract each meal selected with the hotel, the last day to sign up, change your entrée or cancel and receive a refund is noon Sunday, March 9.Sign-UpsSign-UpsSign up on the OCWS website to attend this event. Attendees will self-park in the hotel garage. Bring your parking ticket to the event. Instructions will be provided for validating free parking.Volunteers NeededVolunteers NeededVolunteers are needed. If you are able to help, please indicate when you sign up to attend this event. • Help place agendas on tables• Help with check-in from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.• Help pour wine for the tasting4 ocws.org March 2025
March 2025 ocws.org 5 Winery ProgramRussian RiverVineyards6:30 p.m.Friday, April 25, 2025Hilton Hotel3050 Bristol St.Costa Mesa, CASign-Up Deadline:Sunday, April 20Russian River Vineyards wine-maker Giovanni “Gio” Balistreri will be our featured speaker. He comes from four generations of farmers, and he would not have it any other way. Gio is a farmer, rst and foremost.To produce great wine, Gio believes that you must rst pro-duce excellent fruit. It is the es-sential character and avor of that fruit, when it is harvested, that will determine its potential to become a superior wine. There is no shortcut. You must be there and manage the crop at every step. The Russian River Valley is one of the world’s greatest winemak-ing regions where true devotees of great wine are familiar with the magic of this valley. So, just over a decade ago, he set out to make the most of an incredible environment to make great wine. The Russian River area enjoys warm summer days that are important for sug-ar production in grapes and cool night temperatures to preserve the acidity in the grapes. This pro-vides a combination to achieve and maintain the delicate balance of sugar and acid. These attributes, combined with rich and diverse soil conditions, make the Russian River Valley a winemaker’s dream for Gio to work his magic.—Rich Skoczylas, Winery Program CoordinatorMenuMenuEntree Options:• Grilled free range chicken breast, charred pepper and goat cheese puree, served with chef’s choice of starch and vegetables• Seared salmon with lemongrass vinaigrette, served with chef’s choice of starch and vegetables• Cremini and portobello ravioli with tomato cont, fresh grilled aspara-gus and Madeira cream sauce• Dessert is chocolate mousse cake$62 members, $67 guestsThe evening begins with a sit-down plated dinner served promptly at 6:30 p.m. Arriving before this time will make it easier for you to nd a seat. Be sure to pick up your meal ticket when you check in to show the waiter your entrée selection. Meals are ordered in advance and cannot be changed at the event. Please se-lect your meal carefully, and be sure to wear your name tag to this tasting. After dinner, we will have a short presentation about upcoming events.Members may bring their own wine to enjoy and share during din-ner. Please drink responsibly.Because we contract each meal with the hotel that you selected, the last day to sign up, change your entrée or cancel and receive a refund is noon Sunday, April 20.Sign-UpsSign-UpsSign up on the OCWS website to attend this event. Attendees will self-park in the hotel garage. Bring your parking ticket to the event. Instructions will be provided for validating free parking.Volunteers NeededVolunteers NeededVolunteers are needed. If you are able to help, please indicate when you sign up to attend this event: • Help to place agendas on tables• Help with check-in from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.• Help pour wine for the tasting
6 ocws.org March 2025Winery ProgramHave you ever heard of a small award-winning winery in San Benito County named WildEye Winery? Maybe not, but you will have a chance to taste their excel-lent wines this May.Winemaker Mike Berntsen hand-tends grapes for 10 months, where they grow in full sunlight and are picked gently to retain quality before being delivered to the winery. He grows and partners with growers to source high-qual-ity fruit to be crushed gently and fermented in small fermenters. Both American or French oak bar-rels, or stainless-steel tanks are used. Wines are aged from four to 24 months. It could take up to three years before selected wines are bottled allowing these wines time to evolve.Mike is also one of our judges in the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition.WildEye wines are elegant and fruit forward to showcase the vineyard. This produces ripe, fresh fruit avors and mouthwatering nishes.—Rich Skoczylas, Winery Program CoordinatorMenuMenuEntree Options:• Grilled chicken with roasted corn and poblano salsa, served with chef’s choice starch and vegetables• Grilled salmon, shiitake mush-rooms and asparagus hash, fresh grilled lemon, served with chef’s choice starch and vegetables• Vegetarian—Stuffed quinoa pep-per on arugula, heirloom tomato, broccolini and porcini mushroom ragu• Dessert is caramel an$62 members, $67 guestsEach attendee must pick up a menu card with their name to show your server the entree selected.Dinner begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. Arriving before this time will make it easier for you to nd a seat. After dinner, we will have a short presentation about upcoming events. A meal ticket will be at the check-in table for you to show the waiter your entrée. Be sure to pick up your meal ticket when you check in. Meals are ordered in ad-vance and cannot be changed at the event. Please select your meal carefully, and be sure to wear your name tag.Members may bring their own wine to enjoy and share during dinner. Please drink responsibly.Because we contract each meal that you selected with the hotel, the last day to sign up, change your entrée, or cancel and receive a refund is Sunday, May 4.Sign-UpsSign-UpsSign up on the OCWS website to attend this event. Attendees will self-park in the hotel garage. Bring your parking ticket to the event. Instructions will be provided for validating free parking.Volunteers NeededVolunteers NeededVolunteers are needed. If you are able to help, please indicate when you sign up to attend this event. • Help place agendas on tables• Help with check-in from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.• Help pour wine for the tastingWildEye Winery6:30 p.m.Friday, May 9, 2025Hilton Hotel3050 Bristol St.Costa Mesa, CASign-Up Deadline:Sunday, May 4
March 2025 ocws.org 7Mini-TastingWinter 2025: French vs. Italian Wines6 to 9 p.m. • Saturday, March 1, 2025 • Various Host SitesBoth France and Italy are recognized around the world for outstanding wines. France is second in the world with the amount of wine consumed per person, followed closely behind by Italy, which is ranked third in per person wine consumption. French wine is often associated with elegance and renement, thanks to its centuries-old classications and strict regulations. Regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy are globally renowned for producing complex, age-worthy wines, with Bordeaux excelling in blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and Burgundy specializing in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Additionally, Champagne, the sparkling wine from northeastern France, is a symbol of luxury and celebration worldwide. French winemaking emphasizes terroir—the idea that the land, climate and geography profoundly shape the wine—giving each appellation its distinct identity.On the other hand, Italian wine stands out for its diversity, accessibility and deep cultural ties to food. Italy boasts a staggering number of grape varieties, with over 500 documented indigenous types, many of which are rarely found outside the country. Iconic regions such as Tuscany and Piedmont produce world-class wines like Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Barolo, while Prosecco from Veneto has become a popular sparkling wine globally. Italian wine is often crafted with a focus on pairing with meals, as it plays a central role in the country’s culinary traditions.For our next Mini-Tasting, we will explore ve French and ve Italian wines to compare and contrast and determine if participants have a preference for one country’s wine over the other. LOCATIONS:Host sites and directions will be announced to those attending approximately one week prior to the event. We try to place you at the location nearest your home or to accommodate your specic site request; however, your as-signed host site is also based on the order in which your sign-up is received in the OCWS ofce. COST:The cost to attend the tasting is $35 for members, $40 for guests.DISH: Each person/couple attending will sign up with their host site to bring a potluck dish (appetizer, entrée, side dish or dessert) to serve a small portion to 16 to 18 people. There will be a special bottle of wine that evening as a prize for Chef of the Evening (voted on by the attend-ees of each site). Our winning Chefs of the Evening can have their recipe published in The Wine Press. Plan on arriving promptly at 6 p.m. so the event can get started on time. Please bring your own wine glasses for tasting; keep in mind the wines are served in ights of two.SIGN-UPS:We are planning for seven to eight sites for this Mini-Tasting depending upon the number of hosts. Sign-ups open Jan. 15 to facilitate the most efcient guest assignments. We encourage you to sign up early as sites ll quick-ly. Once sign-ups ll up, call the OCWS ofce to be added to the waiting list. DEADLINE:The cut-off date for online sign-ups is Sunday, Feb. 16. After this date, contact the OCWS ofce to determine availability. Due to the advance purchase of wines, you may not receive a refund if you cancelled after Feb. 22 (we will try to ll the spots from the waiting list).—Don Mayer, OCWS Mini-Tasting Chair If you'd like to request a specic host site or to carpool with another member, please add a comment on your signup.
8 ocws.org March 2025Winemakers GroupI hhave four grape vines in my back-yard. When people come over, they always ask if I make wine from them. e vines are all dierent varietals, two of which are table grapes. So no, I don’t make wine from them. Four vines wouldn’t produce much wine anyway, even if they were all the same varietal and were suitable for winemaking.I planted them about 20 years ago, before my wife and I joined OCWS. I knew nothing about winemaking then. We just liked how grape vines looked and thought they would be cool in our back yard. Little did I know that in the years to come, those vines would teach me a lot.For one thing, there’s more work involved in caring for grape vines than I ever imagined. First there was planting, setting up drip irrigation and training them. en I learned about feeding, pruning and keeping them free of dis-ease. And now that they are established, there’s the ongoing battle to keep pests, birds and other critters from eating the fruit. It’s taught me, on a microscopic scale, how much work it is to grow grapes. I never thought of my four vines as being a “vineyard.” But caring for those vines has made me appreciate the work that grape growers do in real vine-yards and how fortunate we winemak-ers are to have access to high-quality fruit.I’ve learned something else too. I’ve become more in touch with the rhythm of nature through taking care of those vines. I recently pruned them back in preparation for the growing season. ough bud break hasn’t started, I can already see the small bumps on the vines where the rst shoots will appear later this month.Springtime, Renewal and Bud BreakI always get a sense of renewal when the growing cycle starts each year. It’s like waking up aer a long winter slum-ber. Springtime is coming. I feel re-en-ergized to work on new projects like these upcoming events for Winemakers Group.is spring, the Winemakers Group will oer a new opportunity to all OCWS members. One of our most experienced winemakers, Kevin Don-nelly, will teach you how to make wine from fresh citrus juice. Yes, you can make excellent wine from fruit other than grapes. In this citrus winemaking class, you will pick your own citrus fruit, juice it and take it home to make wine, all with the help of our OCWS wine-makers. Making wine from fruit is similar to making wine from grapes. If you ever wanted to learn how to make wine, this is your opportunity. See the article in this month’s newsletter for class details.Our next winemakers meeting and potluck is scheduled for Saturday, March 22. If you ever wanted to taste our wines or learn about winemaking, this is your opportunity. Signups are now open on the website. You don’t have to be a winemaker to attend. All OCWS members are welcome. See the article in this month’s newsletter for details.Save the date for the 2025 OC Fair Home Wine Competition. is 49th an-nual competition will be held Saturday, June 7, at the OC Fair and Event Center. e Winemakers Group sponsors this event, which is one of the largest amateur winemaking competitions in California. We need your help to make it successful. Look for event informa-tion and volunteer opportunities in upcoming newsletters.Cheers!—R—Ed Reyes, ed@OCWS.org
March 2025 ocws.org 9Winemakers GroupOCWS President Carolyn Christian has nearly a dozen backyard citrus trees that are bursting with fruit. You can help take it o her hands and learn to make wine at the same time. e Winemakers Group will show you how.We will be conducting a citrus wine-making class Saturday, April 5, at Carolyn’s home in La Habra Heights. You will get to pick and juice oranges. OCWS winemaker Kevin Donnelly will teach you how to turn that citrus juice into wine. We will provide the yeast, additives and instructions for you to take home, along with your fresh juice, where you will complete the winemaking process. You will also get a list of winemaking mentors to contact in case of questions.Kevin has been making wine from grapes and a variety of other fruit for many years. His citrus wines have earned numerous awards at the OC Fair Home Wine Competition, including several Double Gold awards last year.Making wine from fruit is similar to making wine from grapes but the turnaround is much faster. With most fruit wines, you can make a batch in only a few months. is is a great way for experienced winemakers to hone their skills. For a new winemaker, it’s a great way to get some experience be-fore making the jump to grapes. Plus, the equipment needed to make wine from citrus is the same as that needed to make wine from grapes.e citrus picking and winemaking class will last roughly ve hours. ere will be a short break with snacks served. Cost to at-tend and participate is $32. Participants will get the citrus juice, yeast, additives and in-structions to take home and turn that juice into wine. For an extra $17, participants may also bring a plus one (spouse or friend) who can attend and enjoy the day. I’m sure Kevin will bring some of his award-winning citrus wines for all to enjoy. Detailed event instructions, location and parking information will be sent to attend-ees approximately one week prior to the event. Right aer you sign up you will get information describing the equipment you will need to have ready at home to complete the wine-making process.First-time winemakers, be prepared to spend around $140, beyond the class cost, for equipment and bottles. You will n-ish with about 25 bottles of citrus wine. e equipment can be used for future batches of citrus and grape wine, making them much cheaper to produce.Sign up now on the OCWS website. e annual OC Fair Home Wine Competition always features numerous fruit wine entries. Yours could be in an upcoming competition.—R—Ed Reyes, ed@OCWS.orgThe next quarterly meeting and potluck will be 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 22. Signups are now open on the OCWS website. e Yorba Linda loca-tion will be announced one week prior to the event. Cost is $10 per person to cover supplies. All OCWS members are welcome.Each attendee, or couple, is asked to bring a potluck dish (appetizer, salad, side dish or dessert) ready to serve a small portion to eight people. Please bring any serving utensils necessary for your dish and a bottle of wine per person (homemade or commercial) to share. Plates, napkins and tableware will be furnished. For new and aspiring winemakers, this is your chance to meet, mingle and learn from our experienced winemak-ers. We also will have a short meeting to plan for the 2025 Home Wine Competi-tion and announce upcoming events.Winemakers, did you get grapes last autumn or are you processing wines from earlier vintages? Are you making fruit wine? Whatever the fruit, make sure your wines stay protected from wine-damaging organisms. Our SO2 testing team led by Mike Paz will be conducting tests for your wines from 10 a.m. to noon on the same day and location prior to the potluck meeting.Please email Mike by March 12 at Michael.winemaker@icloud.com with the number of tests you will need. It is important we know ahead of time how many tests will be done so we can purchase supplies prior and have them on hand. Testing fee is $5 per sample. Bring a 100ml sample of each wine, enough to test twice in case the test needs to be repeated.Attendance at this event is extremely limited so sign up now. Volunteers are needed to help set up prior to and help clean up aer the event. You can sign up to help when you register to attend the event. See you all there. Cheers!—R—Ed Reyes, ed@OCWS.orgSAVE THE DATE: March Winemakers Quarterly Meeting & PotluckCITRUSWinemakersCLASSSaturdayApril 5La Habra HeightsCost: $32Signups: OCWS.orgLearn to Make Citrus Wine at Class Open to all Members
If you haven’t joined the Orange County Wine Society’s Varietal Hours by now, here is your chance. As we continue into 2025, we have excit-ing new themes and are experiencing new members joining us.The best thing, they are FREE. What started as a way of gathering during the COVID-19 quarantines has blossomed into quality time with friends, both old and new. And the things we have learned and been taught by this group are priceless.Here is our challenge to all of you: If you haven’t already attended one of these Varietal Hours, please attend one. Yes, just one. We promise you three things. 1) You will have fun. 2) You might just learn something, OR you might teach us something. 3) You won’t regret spending that hour of your life. And you won’t even have to drive home.So picture this… Your own com-fortable furniture. A glass of wine in your hand, chatting with fun friends, some you know, some you may not. And here’s the best part: You don’t even have to clean up everyone’s mess. We’re always happy to have new mem-bers join the fun and meet some people who enjoy wine.Each event has a theme, but we never “kick anyone off the island,” so it Varietal HOURSNew year, New Fun Now Happens on Tuesdaysnever matters if you follow the theme. Part of the fun is nding a wine to t the theme. The setting is very casual, with stories told about each of the wines we’re drinking, what we do (or don’t) like about them, where we got them, and more.Regardless of your knowledge of wine, the Varietal Hours have some-thing for everyone. Varietal Hours will be held 7 to 8 p.m. every other Tuesday.All you need is a computer (or phone) and internet connection. If you are new to the Varietal Hours or to Zoom, please feel free to contact Don Phillips at don@OCWS.org for help and information, even if it means con-tacting him days before the event, and he will walk you through the process and even do a short Zoom meeting, just for you, to get you comfortable with the process.The event is open to all OCWS members, but sign-ups are required. Please log on to the OCWS website to register for the event no later than 7 p.m. the Monday night before the event. Couples only need to sign up for one person since this event is via Zoom. A link for the Zoom meeting will be emailed to you on the day of the event.We are also looking for hosts for upcoming Varietal Hours. It’s fun and easy to do. Please contact Don at the above email if you wish to host, or with any questions or suggestions.We look forward to Zooming with you soon at one of the future Varietal Hours. Bottoms up!—Don Phillips,OCWS Varietal Hours ChairMARCH 4TIME:7 p.m.VARIETAL:Wine Club WineHO ST:Ed ReyesMARCH 18TIME:7 p.m.VARIETAL:Armenian WineHO ST:Adrienne KeedyAPRIL 1TIME:7 p.m.VARIETAL:Temecula Valley WineHO ST:Lee & Cathy Painter10 ocws.org March 2025EventsAPRIL 15TIME:7 p.m.VARIETAL:Willamette Valley WinesHO ST:Don Phillips
EventsSpring SOCIALMarch 2025 ocws.org 11Spring is bursting out all over, and it will soon be time for the 2025 OCWS Membership Spring Social!This year’s event will be held 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 10, with the theme “Vines in Bloom.” Save the date for a fun afternoon of food, wine, music and friends (old and new) at The Courtyard. You’ll have the opportunity to dance and sing along with DJ Henry “Streak” Martinez of Sound Appeal Entertain-ment. Henry is a 30-year veteran of the business and will be returning for this year’s revelry with his amazing catalog of hits after his debut with us at the 2024 Spring Social.Since we’ll be celebrating the owering of spring, have fun with the theme. Maybe something bold and colorful, or maybe something preppy and classic. Attendees will have several fund-raiser options from which all proceeds will go to our Scholarship Fund. Remember to break open your piggy bank beforehand as our Wine Wall is cash only! We are also encouraging members to donate a bottle valued at least $20.The committee has also put togeth-er at least a dozen fantastic, themed gift baskets for our Silent Auction. You can pay for a winning bid with cash, check or credit card. Addition-ally, the table centerpieces will be on sale for $15 each; please see Betty Jo Newell for details. With all of these great choices, please show your sup-port for our Scholarship Fund.Volunteer help is needed to make the day successful. You will be able to sign up to help as you purchase your tickets on our website. Volunteers will be needed for set up, sign-in, pouring wine, serving food and clean up.We are looking forward to stepping into spring at The Courtyard! The cost is $50 for members; $55 for guests. Sign up and purchase tickets at OCWS.org.Buffet:Cooks Caucus will prepare a delicious buffetEntertainment:DJ Henry "Streak" MartinezBest Look Contest:Dress in your nest owery springtime attireWine Wall:Choose a mystery bottleof wine for $20Silent Auction:Gift baskets include wine, epicurean delights, home decor, gardening and fun experiencesCenterpieces:On sale for $15 eachHIGHLIGHTSFood, Fun at Membership Event Saturday, May 10, 2025@eCourtyard
12 ocws.org March 2025EventsWhen you are attending OCWS functions, look for the white ribbons on the name tags. The white ribbon will be on the mem-ber’s name tags if they joined OCWS within the last few months. We are using the white ribbon to make it easier for all members to know who is newer. For each event, we will match the attendees to the membership roster and identify new members. During check in, these members will be given the white ribbon to adhere to their name tag. The ribbons are easily re-moved and will not damage the name tag,When you identify a new member by the white ribbon, please take the opportu-nity to say hi! So often we want to reach out and welcome new members, but we don’t know who they are. This gives us an easy way to identify and welcome them.It is always fun to nd out why people are interested in our organization. Are they home winemakers? Have they traveled many places and tasted wines? Do they have a favorite California wine-maker? Does that winemaker enter our Wine Competition? Did they join during the OC Fair because we all looked like we enjoyed serving? Or, do they just like to drink wine? Our new members are so varied and interesting. What a wonderful time to learn about them.Are you a new member looking for other new members? The white ribbons make it easier for to identify them and form new friendships.So look for the white ribbons and introduce yourself! —Alice Polser, Membership Member LiaisonKeep an eye out for the White RibbonGreat wines at great prices await you at the 2025 OCWS Wine Auction. Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will take place at the OC Fair and Event Center in the Huntington Beach building. If you have never attended this event, we highly recommend it. The auction is a fun-lled afternoon with friends, lots of wine and food and the opportunity to support OCWS. We have over 1,000 lots of wine (four bottles together) in both silent and verbal auction opportunities. In addition to the auction lots, mystery boxes of wine will be available for purchase. You can go home with just a few bottles or many cases.But wait… there’s more! Don’t miss this year’s addition of the Winery and Food Experience Auction, with winery tours, dinners and other experiences available to bid on.Remember, the auction is our second biggest fundraiser of the year. It is a chance for us to clear out our wine cellar in preparation for the 2025 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition and The Courtyard. As a nonprot organization, we rely on the auction to also help fund educational programming for our members, the public at the OC Fair and to support our Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships for eight California educational institutions with degrees in enology, viticulture and culinary arts. To date, we have donated over $940,000 to these schools. The auction also is a membership benet to you because you have the unique opportunity to restock your cellar and purchase wines from last year’s competition at a fraction of the retail price.The auction is limited to OCWS members only. At $30 per person, the event is one of the best deals around. Volunteer opportunities are also available before, during and after the event. Can’t attend the event? We have volunteer opportunities to help with set up on Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19. The Volunteer Form link can be found on the Auction Event page where you purchase your tickets.Time to Restock Your CellarWine AUCTION
OCWS HistoryMarch 2025 ocws.org 13In the early days of the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, Orange County wine writer Jerry Mead was the Director of Judges. In 1977, the rst annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition was held, a joint eort between the Orange County Wine Society (for-merly called the Orange County Wine Guild) and the Orange County Fair. A total of 82 individual wines (59 Chenin Blanc and 23 Gamay Beaujolais) were judged by the following 18 judges.Over the years, the number of judges has increased to 90 for each competition, many who have judged for over 30 years. e standards are still the same. All wine varietals and blends are judged “dou-ble-blind” in price categories for the benet of the consumer. Today, the 100-point scale is used along with medal recommendations and the results are listed on WineCompetition.com. e relationship between our judges and the OCWS has continued to grow over the years. Many have presented their wines at our Win-ery Program presentations. Several have participated in the Featured Winery Programs at e Courtyard during the OC Fair, supported our Scholarship Program or hosted us when we have visited the winer-ies as a group or individually. Most have become lifelong friends of OCWS.OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition JudgesRichard Arrowood, Chateau St JeanKen Burnap, Santa Cruz Mountain VineyardAl Cribari, Cribari Vineyards, Inc.Richard Elwood, Llords & Elwood WineryEd Friedrich, San Martin VineyardsWilliam Fuller, Tualatin VineyardsRay Krause, Cailfornia House Wine Co., MaderaJerry Lohr, J. Lohr WinerySteve Mirassou, Mirassou VineyardsSteve O’Donnell, Callaway Vineyard & WineryAngelo Papagni, Papagni VineyardsJohn Parducci, Parducci WineryPhyllis Pedrizzetti, Pedrizzetti WineryRobert Rife, Italian Swiss ColonyDon Sebastiani, Sebastiani VineyardsMike Stone, Sterling VineyardsRodney Strong, Rodney Strong VineyardsWarren Winiarski, Stag’s Leap Wine CellarsRichard Arrowood, Chateau St Jean, KenwoodDavid Bennion, Ridge Vineyards, CupertinoKen Burnap, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Santa CruzAlbert Cribari, B. Cribari & Sons, San FranciscoRichard Elwood, Llords & Elwood Winery, FremontTom Ferrell, Inglenook Vineyards, RutherfordMary Ann Graf, Simi Winery, HealdsburgJohn Homan, e Christian Brothers, NapaBob Kozlowski, Kenwood Vineyards, San JoseRay Krause, California House Wine Co., MaderaSteve Mirassou, Mirassou Vineyards, San JoseTim Mondavi, Robert Mondavi Winery, OakvilleMyon Nightingale, Beringer Vineyards, St HelenaSteve O’Donnell, Callaway Vineyard & Winery, TemeculaAngelo Papagni, Papagni Vineyards, MaderaJohn Parducci, Parducci Winery, UkiahPhyllis Pedrizzetti, Pedrizzetti Winery, Morgan HillRobert Rife, Italian Swiss Colony, San FranciscoDon Sebastiani, Sebastiani Vineyards, SonomaDee Sindt, Lytton Springs Winery, HealdsburgPeter Stern, Turgeon & Lohr Winery, San JoseBy the next year, 1978, the competition grew to include seven dierent, popular varietal wine classications including Chenin Blanc (both dry and sweet), Gamay Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Red Port. A total of 377 wines were judged.Wine samples used in the judging were either procured directly from the producing wineries, their local distribution outlets or purchased o the shelf of local retail outlets. Every wine commercially available in the local market, in the classications being judged, was included in the competition.All tasting was done by professionals: vintners, winemakers or other winery marketing or production representatives, all of whom traveled to Orange County for the competition at their own expense. All judging was conducted on a “blind” basis and the judging panel had no knowledge of the individual wines being tasted. Scoring was done on the industry-ap-proved 20-point Davis modied rating system. To allow consumers to better compare results, each wine was judged in one of three price classi-cations: inexpensive, moderate and premium.e judging took place under rigidly controlled conditions on June 25-26, 1978, at the South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, by members of the Orange County Wine Society under the supervision of the Orange County Fair wine show committee. e panel included those listed at right.—Jane Goodnight, original member of OC Fair Wine Committee, and Kevin Coy,Director of Judges
14 ocws.org March 2025There are sparkling wines and still wines. There are red, white and rose wines. There are wines made from North American native grapes, wines made from hybrid grapes and wines made from fruit other than grapes. And there are wines made in a style that addresses cur-rent-day trends and the subsequent mar-ket demand. What follows is by no means a comprehensive description of these wine styles. But if you are interested, you may want to try.These are all interesting wines to drink and learn about. So, no matter what kind of wine it is, how or why it is was made, just nd a bottle, open it and enjoy. Cheers!—CL Keedy, Wine Education Committee,clkeedy@OCWS.org A wine that is hard to dene. In a wide sense it is wine that is made with low levels of intervention in both the vineyard and cellar. The wine ferments naturally using native yeast with a minimal amount of sul-tes for preservation (other than the natural sultes that are in all wine). The winemaker avoids the use of pesticides and herbicides in the vineyard and chemical alteration in the cellar. The low-intervention winemak-ing method can also mean the skipping of ning and ltration, resulting in a hazy wine. And because there is no verication method for “low level intervention,” an exact denition of natural wine also is hazy. Inevitably the lack of a concrete denition of natural wine can account for the large number of natural wines on the market.A wine that is made from grapes grown in certied organic vineyards and made in certied organic wineries. Organic wines may not be natural wines even though all natural wines are organic. Strict organic wine regulations govern from grape to bottle. The vineyards do not use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. The wine must be made with limited or minimal sultes and is not supplemented with added sugar but ning the wine may be allowed. The regulations require that all ingredients used in the winemaking be certied organic. Organic certiers are accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and organic certication requires an annual renewal. A wine using biodynamic farming practic-es that are universally applied around the globe. In the 1920s, Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner developed an all-inclusive farming method based on the connection between humans, animals, plants and the environment. However, all biodynamic wine is neither organic nor natural even though the winemaker uses natural or organically developed products in the winemaking. The winemaker does focus his vineyard management on creating a balance between nature’s processes and the vineyard’s grapes. Winemakers practicing biodynamics often take celestial elements into consideration when harvesting and subsequent winemaking. It is felt that bio-dynamic farming provides an expression of terroir that is not found elsewhere. Deme-ter, a global federation of farmers, wine-makers, gardeners, researchers and more, provides the certication for biodynamic wines and a Demeter logo can be found on the bottle.A wine like all wine, made from yeast fermenting grape juice. Therefore, all wines could be assumed to be vegan wines. However, that is not the case. A vegan winemaker has not used animal products for ning, ltering or stabilizing their wine. A non-vegan winery could use animal prod-ucts such as egg whites, a milk protein (ca-sein) or isinglass, a sh collagen, to remove the smallest sediment particles that have not been removed by ltration. Vegan wine-makers, by not using animal products for ning can let the sediment particles fall nat-urally to the bottom of a tank or barrel, or they can use a form of clay called bentonite or pea protein to produce a clear wine. As an additional caution, animal products can also be used in the manufacture of ag-glomerated corks (milk-based glues) or the sealing of bottles with beeswax. Since there are no requirements to list ning agents on labels, nding vegan wine requires asking your retailer or the winemaker.A wine that has no or low alcohol. It is also called alcohol-free wine, non-alco-holic wine and dealcoholized wine, while partially dealcoholized wine is called low-alcohol wine. What a no/lo wine is, is not only as different as its several names, but also as different as the many countries’ respective regulations and cultural norms where the wine is either made or consumed. Alcohol-free wine and non-alcoholic wine (terms often interchangeable) in many European countries and the U.S. is not necessarily alcohol free, it just has to have less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). However, in Great Britain the requirement is for no more than 0.05% ABV. In Canada the limit is 1.1% ABV; in Japan it is up to 1% ABV, while in Islamic counties non-al-coholic wine and alcohol-free wine must be 0.0% ABV. The partially dealcoholized, low-alcohol wine in the E.U. can have an ABV that ranges from 5-6%, while a Jan-uary 2025 Italian regulation set the limits at greater that 0.5% but less than 8.5-9%. Labeling should be the key to determining your desired selection. Wine WISDOMWhat Kind of Wine is... A NATURAL WINE AN ORGANIC WINE A BIODYNAMIC WINE A VEGAN WINE A NO/LO WINENews
OCWS is excited to announce the 2025 scholarship donations in the amount of $49,507. These funds were awarded to the eight programs listed in the table at right. This year’s donations raised the total amount awarded since 1981 to over $940,000. The scholarship funds come from a variety of sources, including tips at The Courtyard, OCWS Wine Auction, the Featured Winery Program, judges’ stipend and member donations. We thank our members for their support and hard work that made the scholarships possible.OCWS SCHOLARSHIPS2025 Scholarship AllocationsJust a friendly reminder that you can make a donation to the OCWS Scholarship Fund anytime. There are two ways to donate:1. Mail a check – Complete your check using the same instructions as above, and mail it to the OCWS ofce at OCWS, P.O. Box 11059, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. Attn: Scholarship Fund. A donation letter will be sent to you.2. Donate Online – Log on to your account at OCWS.org and go to the scholarship donation page: OCWS.org/product/scholarship-donations/. You can make your donation online and print a receipt for tax purposes at the same time.—Damian Christian, OCWS Scholarship Chair University/College Program sChool total Allan Hancock (AHC) Viticulture and Enology $5,777 Cal Poly Pomona Agricultural Science $5,725 Cal Poly SLO Wine and Viticulture $6,225 CSU Fresno Viticulture and Enology $5,725 Orange Coast College Culinary Arts $5,825 UC Davis Viticulture and Enology $8,750 Napa Valley College Viticulture & Winery Technology $5,725 Wine Business $5,755TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $49,507CSU Sonoma/CunninghamMarch 2025 ocws.org 15NewsIt’s hard to believe it’s time for volunteer signups for the 49th OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. We have signups online this month, same as in previous years. We try to be exible and ask the same of our volunteers. We can work together to make this another fun event. There are many areas where volunteer help is needed including stewarding, glass washing, drying and bagging a few days before the event. Continuing the efciency, the computer room, scoring verication and medals mailing will be assigned. A sign-up form is included on the website that identies stewarding days, bagging nights and other work parties with times and dates.To qualify for stewarding, you are required to sign up for two additional work parties. We offer bagging, moving of wine to and from the competition site and sorting post competition. We need your support for our work parties to run a successful competition. The good news is that we have hired help for heavy lifting. No training is necessary as newer members will be teamed with competition veterans. Carrying trays of glasses is required if you volunteer to steward. Volunteers needed before, during annual OC Fair eventCommercial Wine COMPETITIONsee COMPETITION, page 16
16 ocws.org March 2025NewsThe OC Fair is just around the corner. The largest OCWS fundraising effort of the year will be taking place for a total of 23 days, Wednesdays through Sundays, July 18 through Aug. 17. Volunteering at The Courtyard is a unique and fun experience. All courtyard volunteers handling wine in any capacity are required to be RBS (Responsible Beverage Server) certied through the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Commission) pursuant to fair requirements. It is highly recomme- nded that new members obtain certication sooner than later to be ready when sign-ups open. All OCWS volunteers who are managers, stewards and servers need to be certied. Cashiers do not need to be certied; however, getting RBS certied offers more opportunities to volunteer for different positions. Thank you for your volunteer efforts. You are what makes OCWS the great success it is. If you obtained your RBS certication in 2022, you will have to renew your certicate this year. ABC will send you a renewal certication 60 days from your expiration date. Please email Sue@OCWS.com for more information once you receive your notication from ABC.How do I get started? Check out our tips below! —Linda Flemins and Sue England, OCWS DirectorsOC FAIRRBS Certication renewals required to volunteerIt’s physical and can get tiring.Along with stewarding, you need to be prepared to assist your steward captain by opening wine bottles at the required time, preparing glasses for tags and cleaning up the judges’ tables as needed, while listening to your captain for direction. We are expecting to have carts this year, more than we had last year, as we found this increased our effectiveness greatly. It is imperative that the wines are NOT opened rst thing in the morning as has happened in the past. We have been asked to have as much consistency in timing for the opening of the wines per ight, so all are opened as close to the same time as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to phone me at (562) 822-3382 or email strompharms@earthlink.net.We look forward to your participation in this very important event. Thank you.—Robyn Strom, Volunteer CoordinatorCOMPETITION, from page 15Once you have sent your request for certication to Sue England, she will sign you up for the course through Premiere. You will receive an email with your username and password and a link to the online course. The course is self-paced and you can complete one lesson at a time or all at once. The online course is followed by an online exam with ABC. Once you are RBS certied you are ready to serve at the OC Fair.ONLINE CLASSPlease send an email to RBS team members Sue England and Linda Flemins at RBS@OCWS.org, letting them know you need to be RBS certied this year.EMAIL USInstructions will be sent to you when you register. 1. Create an RBS account with Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). 2. Take a course with the RBS course provider that OCWS has selected.3. Take a nal quiz with ABC online and obtain the RBS certicate, which is valid for three years.3-STEP PROCESSEach OCWS member will need a valid individual email address that will be used to set up an account. Your own individual email address will be your username for the online system. PLEASE NOTE
March 2025 ocws.org 17Feature StoryNot bad for the recently retired landscape architect whose humble beginnings as a home winemaker winning gold medals at the Orange County Home Wine Competition has budded into running a commercial wine operation that is well regarded among those familiar with Krumwie-de’s operation.Krumwiede owns Sycamore Ranch Vineyard and Winery in Crestline, nestled in the San Bernardino Moun-tains, just outside Lake Arrowhead. This year marks the winery’s 10th anniversary. Krumwiede admits the accolades that have followed have been somewhat stunning but appreci-ated. “It’s been a ight path steadily gaining altitude on condence,” he said over a glass of wine in his Crest-line tasting room. “I think the vintages have improved over the years. No one has been more surprised than my wife and me.”Long gone are the days when Krumwiede’s knowledge of wine amounted to drinking Boone’s Farm. His introduction to wine came at the hands of his father-in-law who taught wine appreciation classes at Ambassa-dor College in Pasadena.Krumwiede and his wife, Eliza-beth, began going on trips to Santa Barbara wine county; his interest only grew from there.“I really started to become kind of infatuated with how all these avors could come from just the grape,” he said. “It was really interesting to me.”After moving to Crestline, he later bought a 3½ acre lot that was home to 100-year-old apple orchards. He began making cider but saw the potential of planting vineyards on the property – albeit at 4,576 feet above altitude. He planted 60 vines each of Zin-fandel and Syrah and the rst vintage was marginal at best (since then his Ever tasted offerings from a winery that had the highest score ever at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition? Interested in taking a little staycation in the local mountains?OCWS members are invit-ed to attend a private tasting at Sycamore Ranch Vineyard and Winery in Crestline 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Cost is $50 per person and includes a tasting of ve or six award-winning wines along with a charcuterie box to share. There are only 40 spots available and a minimum of 10 people are needed to attend this event. Transportation and lodging are not included. Signups are available starting March 1 online at OCWS.org.co-fermented red blend aptly named Altitude 4576 is one of the winery’s higher priced wines).After a chance encounter meeting with Ted Plemons and Steve Cass, owners of Cass Winery in Paso Ro-bles, at a wine pairing dinner in Lake Arrowhead, Krumwiede learned from the pair that co-opting wine might be a good way to broaden his horizon.Between 2012 and 2014, Krum-wiede purchased grapes from Cass and Sculpterra Winery and that sought-after afrmation winemakers seek began trickling in. He received gold medals from the OCWS Home Wine Competition.He then thought about turning his hobby into a business but knew he needed his wife’s approval.“I talked to Elizabeth about going commercial and she said, ‘Sure why not?’’’ he quipped. “She told me later she thought I would fail and that I would make terrible wine and that’s why she said OK.” The goal has always remained the same: to make the best wine possible, and Krumwiede continues to knock it out of the park. Besides earning the SAVE THE DATE:OCWS Outingsee WINERY, page 18WINEMAKER, from page 1In addition to award-winning wines, Sycamore Ranch also produces a variety of ciders, available in ights.
Feature Story18 ocws.org March 2025WINERY, from page 17“Best of the Best” by Sunset Maga-zine, his 2019 Mourvedre received the highest score ever – 99 points – at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competi-tion.Nearly all of the grapes – save the on-property Zin and Syrah – are from the Santa Ynez Valley, known for its exceptional Rhone varietals. Krumwiede initially made 400 cases of wine and about 100 cases of cider. The 2024 vintage will mean 1,000 cases of wine and 500 cases of cider for release this year.“I don’t want to get this winery over 2,500 cases a year of wine and cider,” he said. “I want to continue to stay ultra-focused on making the best wine we can versus mass consumer appeal.”Mother Nature always poses a challenge for winemakers but Krum-wiede has a little more to worry about given his location. Frost at the begin-ning of bud break and freezing tem-peratures toward the end of harvest in early November are usually the main culprits but there can be unforeseen circumstances.“Animal control is a big one,” Krumwiede said. “Ten years ago, the bears discovered the vineyards and came bulldozing through the fence every night and ate all the grapes so we put an electried fence around the two vineyards.”All of which is to say that his two biggest lessons he’s learned when making wine are having patience and trust.“Patience in not overreacting when you think you have a problem,” Krumwiede added. “Trusting that time will be on your side if you treat the grapes right.”Most of his wines can be found in the bottle shops, grocery stores and restaurants in the mountain communi-ties. However, he’s hoping to make a dent in similar locations in Southern California and nding a home in tap-rooms with his cider.For now, those who visit Sycamore Ranch’s tasting room are treated to either an indoor or outdoor experience that is quaint and unrushed. Guests can opt to taste a ight of ciders or ve to six wines; the tasting fee is waived if two or more bottles of wine are purchased.Krumwiede appreciates the recog-nition his wines have received both from the public and competitions he enters. “I like the fact that, and most wine-makers will tell you whether it’s mer-ited or not, for whatever reason you get treated a little bit like a rock star by the people who come to drink wine and it’s a bit of a mystery to them about the whole process and how you do it,” Krumwiede said. “I’ve looked at this as a pleasurable business be-cause people coming to drink wine are generally celebrating or with friends. They are there to have a nice time.”Winemaker Richard Krumwiede and wife Elizabeth built a production facility about a mile down the road from the tasting room.OCWS committeein search of old newslettersThe 50th Anniversary Committee is busy preparing for the big event next year. Currently we have copies of 30 years of our monthly newsletter The Wine Press, and we are hoping to get copies of all 49 years. If you have any of the dates, we would like to scan your copies to add to our archives.If you have any of the issues listed below of The Wine Press, or any of the Free Run newsletter that OCWS used to produce for the OC Fair, please contact Carolyn Christian at carolyn@OCWS.org to arrange a time to scan your newsletters. Thank you!—Hank Bruce, Carolyn Christian, Linda Flemins, Jane Goodnight, Stephanie Richards, OCWS 50th Anniversary Committee50th ANNIVERSARY
Photo of the MonthMarch 2025 ocws.org 19A VIEW AFTER HER OWN HEARTCongratulations to Tricia Shelton, who won again this month with her picture of a Heart Hill Wine Tasting at Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles.The OCWS sponsors a photog-raphy contest and you are invited to participate. As you might have guessed, the subject is “wine,” but this can mean many things to many people.Do you have a great shot of the sun ltering through the vines just before picking? Or an action shot of wine being poured with some great swirls in the glass? Perhaps a romantic shot of a couple toasting each other?These are a few ideas and I’m sure you have many more of that great shot involving wine in some way.Each month the photography committee will select a Photo of the Month for publication in the upcoming newsletter as well as on the OCWS website. The winner also will receive a bottle of wine from the OCWS wine cellar. If you have any questions, email Photo@OCWS.org. Calling all OCWS photographersTHE RULESEntrants must be OCWS members in good standing and the submitted photo must have been photographed by the OCWS member when he/she was an active member.The photo must be some-how wine oriented. It may be of a winery, vineyard, the winemaking process, the nished product or simply the consumption. But don’t limit yourself just to these ideas!The photo or photos may be submitted to the OCWS photography committee any-time but will be considered only for the month it was sub-mitted. There is a limit of ve (5) submissions per month. Upon submission, rights to the photo are given to the OCWS for marketing pur-poses, so before you submit it make sure it is your property. Please get permission from any people in the photo.The photo must be sub-mitted in one of the follow-ing formats: JPEG, RAW, TIFF or Photoshop. Any size is ac-ceptable, but it is preferred to be at least 3000x2400 pixels, which is an 8”x10” shot at 300 dpi for printing. In the event that insu-cient entries are entered in a month, the committee reserves the right to move any contributed photos to the next month.To submit a picture, attach it in an email to Photo@OCWS.org. Be sure to include your name, phone number, picture location and picture title. Pho-tos are due by the last day of the month to be considered for that month’s winner. 124536
2025UPCOMINGEVENTS20 ocws.org March 2025March 18VARIETAL HOURS / ARMENIAN WINEVia ZoomMAY 17OCWS OUTINGSycamore Ranch / CrestlineMarch 14WINERY PROGRAM / MCV WINESHilton Hotel / Costa MesaApril 27NEW MEMBER MIXERLocation TBAApril 25WINERY PROGRAM / RUSSIAN RIVER VINEYARDS / Hilton Hotel / Costa MesaApril 5CITRUS WINEMAKING CLASSLa Habra HeightsMay 9WINERY PROGRAM / WILDEYE WINERYHilton Hotel / Costa MesaMarch 4VARIETAL HOURS / WINE CLUB WINEVia ZoomMay 10SPRING SOCIAL OC Fair & Event Center / Costa MesaMarch 1MINI-TASTING: FRENCH VS. ITALIAN WINESVarious LocationsApril 19OCWS WINE AUCTIONOC Fair & Event Center / Costa MesaMarch 22WINEMAKERS MEETING & POTLUCKLocation TBAApril 22TRIVIA NIGHTWine Lab / Costa Mesa