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Message TThe he WWine ine PPressressVolume 49, Issue 5 OCWS.org May 2025CALENDARpage 18FROM CAROLYNpage 2SPRING SOCIAL page 5WINE PROGRAM page 4Home WINEMAKERSJohn Kienstra stirs in yeast, an essential part of the winemaking process.The old nautical term—“Learning the ropes”—refers to someone learning how to handle ropes and rigging on a sailing ship. It’s an apt term for someone learning a new skill, like winemaking.The newest OCWS winemaker, John Kienstra, sat down in his living room with his wife and two guests. They were all there to taste the results of his rst batch of wine. After pop-ping the cork and dutifully inspecting it, he poured four glasses.See WINEMAKER, page 16STORY & PHOTOS BY ED REYESLEARNING the ROPESLEARNING the ROPES
Nearly half a century later, we are still going strong, with over $940,000 in scholarship donations to eight different California colleges and universities. As president of this organization, I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of members who selessly dedicate their time to present stellar wine programs. It is one of my greatest honors.Dening the OCWSTo the outside world, it is difcult to explain the OCWS. We have a variety of events, from small, intimate dinners at members’ homes to the amazing 23-day run of the OC Fair where we serve thousands of people. So many of our 1,000 members bring the same passion they have for their personal lives and jobs to the organization. It is sometimes hard to believe that we do all that we do with very few paid staff.And we are all on our own wine journeys. One of my favorite parts of our organization is our focus on wine as an approachable pastime that doesn’t require large sums of money to enjoy. Many of us are always searching for that great everyday wine that packs more avor than belies its price point.Rening Palates One of the beautiful aspects of the OCWS is watching the organization foster the development of its members’ palates as they spend time learning about new varietals, new wineries and new winemaking techniques. Education is woven into almost every aspect of our organization, from the Winery Programs where we hear stories of the humble beginnings of wineries that we know and love, to the articles in The Wine Press that call our attention to an interesting wine region or varietal. Our annual Commercial Wine Competition is always seething with delectable wine knowledge, as we spend the weekend with notable winemakers who share the latest industry trends and their latest vintages. No less educational is the Home Wine Competition, with its entrants and judges sharing valuable information on how to improve their next batch of wine. Sometimes we don’t realize how much we know until we are asked to share it with others. It is always amazing for me to see our members standing at the counter of The Courtyard at the OC Fair, sharing their knowledge with the public and marveling at how much they didn’t realize they had learned over the years. While we support formal wine education through our scholarship program, we also support collaborative learning through our events.Did You Know You Can Volunteer?As we approach our busy season, I strongly encourage you to sign up for our many volunteer opportunities. In addition to contributing to the success of our events, you will be adding to your wine knowledge base and continuing forward on your wine journey.Volunteer sign-ups for both of our competitions are already open. Go to OCWS.org and log in to your account, then choose competitions at the top to access the Commercial Wine Competition and/or the Home Wine Competition pages. Each competition has its own volunteer form to complete. 2 OCWS.org May 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 ChristianJohn LaneDirectorJohn@OCWS.orgsee PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE, page 15In 1976, a group of home winemakers decided to embark on a journey to support wine education. That journey was the beginning of the Orange County Wine Society. In partnership with the OC Fair, they started the OC Fair Wine Competitions, one focusing on amateur wines and the other on commercial wines.
May 2025 OCWS.org 3New Members CORNERThe Orange County Wine Soci-ety extends a warm welcome to its newest members! Memberships for the following members were approved by the Board of Direc-tors at the April meeting: Roberta Ann Arshat and Susan Swanek, Peter and Christie Hopkins, J’anna Jennings and Ashley Heard, Barry Kunz, Gerry Laga, Robert and Sandy Lindstrom, Olivia Marsh, Deborah McDougal, Meztli Mon-tes and Carrie Bellscheidt, Victor Munoz and Lucy Madrigal, Dea Wemmer and William Workman. As of April 1, the OCWS has 1,034 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 creat-ed your password. There may only be one login/password per mem-bership.—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.comFor our next Mini-Tasting, our panel of experts will evaluate wines from California's coast and compare against its rich inland valleys.Mark your calendar for an intriguing event that will delve into the distinct terroir and character of California wines. We'll be pouring a selection of premium wines from coastal wineries, known for their bright acidity and minerality, alongside comparable priced wines from inland producers, celebrated for their bold fruit avors and full-bodied proles.This comparative tasting will offer a fantastic opportunity to explore how location inuences taste and discover new favorites.The evening promises an enjoyable experience for both seasoned wine enthusiasts and curious newcomers. By exploring the unique characteristics of each region and the subtle nuances that differentiate these exceptional wines you'll experience how coastal inuences versus inland warmth impacts wine.Whether you're a fan of crisp, refreshing whites or gravitate toward robust, complex reds, this tasting is sure to tantalize your taste buds and deepen your appreciation for California's diverse wine offerings.Don't miss this chance to see how your personal preferences align with the other guests at the dinner you attend as well as across the network of host sights. The Mini-Tasting event will be held on June 28 at 6 p.m. at various host sites. Remember that space is limited, so be sure to register early to ensure your location request is honored, which is assigned based upon when you sign up. For newer members, this is a Bring-a-Dish aspect and a great way to meet other OCWS members in a more intimate and friendly setting. As a bonus to those with a culinary passion, the attendees vote on each site’s favorite dish and the winner goes home with a bottle of wine as a prize. We look forward to raising a glass with you and exploring the remarkable terroir of California.—Don Mayer, OCWS Mini-Tasting ChairMini-TASTINGExplore qualities of premium California wines at June 28 event
Winery Program4 OCWS.org May 2025Nestled in the heart of Southern California is Fallbrook Win-ery. It’s a short drive from Orange County where it rests between the Pacic Coast and the Pala Mesa Mountains and produces the high-est quality red and white varietals. The original Fallbrook Winery opened in 1981 and was used pri-marily for champagne production through the late 1980s. In the mid 1990s, the winery started replant-ing with Bordeaux varietal clones including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Ver-dot and Malbec.The topography of the region creates an ideal microclimate, with warm days, cool nights, hillside vineyards and decomposed granite soil. The grapes develop the op-timal sugar and acid levels need-ed to create rich, full-bodied and balanced wines. All red grapes are hand-picked and bin fermented to allow for optimal fermentation con-ditions. The manual punch downs during fermentation enhances the intensity of the fruit and permits the winemaker greater control over the winemaking process.We are excited to have their head winemaker, Euen Parker, visit us for this tasting. Euen was edu-cated in New Zealand and France and has consulted throughout Spain and the United States. He has won numerous awards at Fallbrook Winery and is a judge in the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition.—Rich Skoczylas, Winery Program CoordinatorMenuMenuEntree Options:• Grilled chicken with roasted corn & poblano salsa, served with chef’s choice starch and vegetables• Grilled salmon, Shiitake mushrooms & asparagus hash, fresh grilled lem-on, served with chef’s choice starch and vegetables• Vegetarian—Stuffed quinoa pepper on arugula, heirloom tomato, brocco-lini and Porcini mushroom ragu• Dessert is caramel an$62 members, $67 guestsA 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 select your meal carefully. Be sure to wear your name tag.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 pre-sentation about upcoming events. Members may bring their own wine to enjoy and share during din-ner. Please drink responsibly.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.Because we contract each meal, the last day to sign up, change your entrée, or cancel and receive a refund is Sunday, May 11.Volunteers NeededVolunteers NeededVolunteers are needed. Please indicate when you sign up to attend this event if you are able: • Help to place agendas on tables• Help with check-in 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.• Help pour wine for the tastingFallbrook Winery6:30 p.m.Friday, May 16, 2025Hilton Hotel3050 Bristol St.Costa Mesa, CASign-Up Deadline:Sunday, May 11
May 2025 OCWS.org 5 Spring SocialSpring is almost here and so is our Spring Social – Vines in Bloom! The wine will be owing on Sat-urday, May 10 at The Courtyard at the OC Fairgrounds. Come join us 3 to 8 p.m. and celebrate with a fun afternoon of food, wine, music and friends. This event is not only fun but also crucial for supporting our Scholar-ship Program. Attendees can choose from several fundraising options, with all proceeds going to the fund. Our Wine Wall offers mystery bottles for $20 (cash only), and we encourage members to donate bottles valued at $20 or more.The committee has prepared themed gift baskets for our Silent Auction. Winning bids can be paid with cash, check or credit card. Table centerpieces also will be available; see Betty Jo Newell for details.There will also be prizes for the best outt. Since we’ll be celebrating the owering of spring, have fun with the theme and arrive in your smart-est attire. Take inspiration from the previous week’s Kentucky Derby, echoing the vibrant and stylish fash-ion on parade.Here are some ideas:For Women: Large, elaborate hats adorned with owers, feathers or ribbons. Spring dresses in bright colors or oral pat-terns. Statement accessories such as large sunglasses or bold jewelry.For Men: Light-colored suits or linen with a crisp shirt. Fedoras or straw hats add a touch of sophistication along with a bowtie, pocket square or colorful tie.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, gourmet treats, home decor, gardening and fun experiencesCenterpieces:On sale for $15 eachHIGHLIGHTSFood, Fun at Membership Event Prizes will be given in the follow-ing categories:Best Floral FrocksCouples or individual costumesBest Use of the Theme "Vines in Bloom"Best costume or hat with wine themeMost Fabulous FascinatorWomen’s hatMost Debonaire ChapeauMen’s hatAs with all our events, volun-teer help is needed to make the day successful. You will be able to sign up to help when you purchase your tickets on the OCWS website. Volun-teers will be needed for setup, sign-in, pouring wine, serving food and clean up. Looking forward to another won-derful OCWS event!—JoBeth Skaggs,Spring Social ChairThe cost is $50 for members; $55 for guests. Sign up and purchase tickets at OCWS.org.
6 OCWS.org May 2025The CourtyardSpring has arrived and sign-ups have begun for The Courtyard at the OC Fair. Volunteering is an exciting and fun opportunity to meet members, learn about different wines and enjoy the OC Fair. The fair runs Wednes-days through Sundays, July 18 and ending Aug. 17.Sign-ups for The Courtyard are opened in phases. All volunteers are required to sign up for a minimum of four shifts. We will do our best to ensure you are assigned the shifts that you select. Should one or more of your selected shifts be lled, we will ask you to select another to have the minimum four. The 23 days of the fair have ve daily shifts, Wednesdays through Sunday. Note that The Courtyard closes each night one hour before the fair closes. The times of the shifts are: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 1 to 4 p.m.; 4 to 8 p.m.; 8 to 10:30 p.m. (Wednes-day, Thursday, Sunday) or 8 to 11:30 p.m. (Friday, Saturday). Express Bar: 5 to 9 p.m. —Rich Skoczylas, The Courtyard Schedulere Courtyard sign-ups have begunIt is once again fair time. The Orange County Fair is set to run July 18 through Aug. 17 and is our organiza-tion’s largest fundraiser of the year. This year’s theme is “Find Your Happy.”Not only does The Courtyard provide operating revenue for OCWS, it is the face of our organization to the fairgoers (1.13 million in 2024)! The fair also is the place where many new OCWS mem-bers join each year. When The Courtyard visitors see how much fun the OCWS is, they often join on the spot.Rich Skoczylas is again coordinating the volunteer sign-ups. Invitations for managers, stewards and cashiers were sent via email in April. Server sign-ups will be available on the OCWS website May 1. Volunteers must sign up for a minimum of four shifts.Leslie Hodowanec is the set-up/tear-down crew chair and will announce the dates as the fair opening approaches. This summer, the fair is requiring everyone who works at The Courtyard to complete the Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training that the Califor-nia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) requires for alcoholic beverage service. This is an online training class fol-lowed by a test and certication is good for three years (see page 7). Sue England (Sue@OCWS.org) and Linda Flemins are coordinating the RBS training and certication.It looks like The Courtyard will have a summer run much like last year. We are planning on serving varietal wines by the glass, tastes of the award-winning wines and having the Express Bar. The fun and very popular Featured Winery Program hosted by Liz and Lloyd Corbett (that brought in more than $24,000 in schol-arship donations in 2024) will be back. What to know about Courtyard volunteeringsee THE COURTYARD, page 7Ensure that your address (OCWS website, My Prole) we have on le is correct to receive courtyard infor-mation and fair credentials.A Responsible Beverage Server (RBS) Certication is required to sign up and work at The Courtyard.Sign-ups will be on the OCWS website.Manager sign-ups opened April 1.Cashier and steward sign-ups opened April 15.Server sign-ups open May 1.ALL sign-ups open at 8 a.m. on these dates.The Courtyard sign-ups close May 30.Conrmation of assigned shifts will be sent in late June or early July.8 Things to know about SIGN-UPS42318567
May 2025 OCWS.org 7The CourtyardThe 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 recommended 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.org 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 volunteerOnce 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 NOTEThe ever popular, often-sold-out wine seminars also will return.Don’t forget the added benets of working shifts over the four-week run. Your credentials will give you access to the fair any day it is open (even sold-out days; last year there were nine) and your parking pass also is valid any day. The big plus is that the wine tickets equate to two glasses of varietal wine or eight tastes of award winners per shift worked. You can pour the two glasses into a Govino glass and head to a show. The fair website lists the concert events at both The Hangar and the Pacic Amphi-theatre. If you haven’t volunteered for The Courtyard in a while, consider returning for some of that summer fun and happy time. If you are new to The Courtyard, come on down.—Fred Heinecke, The Courtyard Committee ChairTHE COURTYARD, from page 6
8 OCWS.org May 2025Wine AuctionI am so proud of this year’s amazing Wine Auction committee and the event volunteers who worked so hard to present an incredibly successful event. Despite a few behind-the-scenes challenges this year, the event ran smoothly. We don’t have the nal gures yet, but our gross revenue was 9.6% more than projected. This was achieved despite having only 5.5% more wine lots than last year.Hundreds of volunteer hours went into the preparation of our second largest fundraiser of the year. I would like to recognize a host of people (see list at left) who made the event a great success.A special thank you to Bill Red-ding and his dedicated team who catalogued and prepared the wines prior to the event. And to Kevin Coy for overseeing the crew to move over 4,300 bottles of wine from the cellar to the auction oor. This crew included a number of students from the culinary arts pro-gram at Orange Coast College that the OCWS supports with its Scholarship Fund. This year they moved the wine in record time and nished that portion of the setup by 9:45 a.m.The Wine Auction requires an army of volunteers and workers. My sincerest thanks to every person who donated their time. Your contribution made a big difference in the success of the event. Special thanks to those who stepped up to assist with veri-cation and checkout.This event is so crucial to our or-ganization and would not be possible without our members who attend this event each year. Thank you to nearly 200 attendees who patiently waited while we veried that each bidder had the correct lots in their boxes. At the end of the day, we didn’t have a single lot missing.We hope you enjoy the wines that you purchased at a fraction of retail and thank you for supporting OCWS and its educational mission. We will see you next year to do it all over again.Many thanks to our donors for the Special Auction this year:Hall WinesWalt WinesVenge VineyardsA BIG thank you to the Wine Auction Committee (aectionally called the Wine Auction Warriors) for the amaz-ing job they did this year:• Adrienne Amico – Verbal Auction• Dino Amico – Wine Ops – Security• Chris Bruce – Computers/Data Entry• Hank Bruce – Wine Ops - Warehouse• Damian Christian – Wine Ops – Auction Floor and Workers• Kevin Coy – Advisor• Stephanie Djang - Verication• Sue England – Volunteers• Ellen Flynn – VIP Experience• Fran Gitsham – Advisor• Scott Green – Computers• Shannon Jestin – Check-in• Laurie Kjar-Reiss - Checkout• Cathy Painter – Event Food & Wine• Lee Painter – Wine Ops - Verication• Rochelle Randel – Administration• Bill Redding - Advisor• Janet Riordan – Checkout• Tricia Shelton – Special Winery Experience Auction• Daniel Vlahovic – Wine Ops – Verication• Jolen Zeroski – Check-inHats o to our top 10 spenders for their generous bids that made this event successful:• Kathy & William Schymick• Eberhard & Mary Anne Neutz• Dewey & Diana Davide• Sandi & Danny Jones• Lou & Shelley Cohen• Robert Maloney & Joey DeLeon• Taylor & Steve Alber• Robin McCormick• Mark & Jody Theissen• Mike & Cathy MacKenzie2025 COMMITTEETOP SPENDERSWine AUCTIONGoing Once, Going Twice…SOLD!see WINE AUCTION, page 9
May 2025 OCWS.org 9NewsThe Orange County Wine Society was founded in 1976. Early OCWS wine programs included wine and food pairings by founding member Judi (Col-lins) Brady and near founding member Jane (Mc Grath) Goodnight. Even up to the late 1980s, the near monthly OCWS wine tastings at local hotels were not accompanied by food service, and the Board of Directors dis-approved of members bringing food to these events. Sam Puzzo was elected to the Board of Directors in fall 1989. He and a small group of OCWS members had long discussed food pairing with wine. Sam has been ofcially credited with being the driving force responsible for Mini-Tastings.His idea of having 30 or 40 people meet at one home to sample a group of wines was approved by the board. The OCWS bought tables and chairs and they were transported to different homes for each Mini-Tasting. Board member Carol Stiglbauer suggested group size be trimmed to 16 people and to have groups meet at several sites simultaneously to sample identical wines at each location with potluck foods. Sam Puzzo ran the Mini-Tastings for the rst three years. Bob Prill and Ron Gottesman hosted the rst two Mini-Tastings at their homes.The Wine Press rst reported on mini-tastings beginning in November 1991. In the 2000s mini-tasting hosts would meet as a work party to open the cases of delivered wine, bag the wines, label the bags and gather supplies into bins, including plates, napkins and 1 oz. pour spouts. Chris Cunningham arranged for purchases of a lot of the wines in the 2000s and supplies would be picked up at his home. A detailed log of Mini-Tasting ven-ues and host names from March 2011 to December 2024 has been compiled and maintained. Mini-tasting themes besides Gold Medal Wines have includ-ed specic grape varietals, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon being most popular, Rhone-style wines and specic wine-growing regions.Over the years members responsible for the Mini-Tastings have included distinguished OCWS alumni. George Cravens has done an outstanding job organizing Mini-Tastings from 2018 to 2024.In the three years since our activity was limited due to COVID-19, an aver-age of seven sites have been available for each of the four Mini-Tastings held per year. The most popular tasting has always been the tasting of OCWS Gold Medal Winners from our own Com-mercial Wine Competition.Our current Mini-Tasting chair, Don Mayer, provides hosts with supplies and bagged wines and they welcomed up to 16 guests. Individuals and couples bring potluck food, that is coordinated by the host. In addition to rating the wines, typically in ve ights, participants vote for Chef of the Evening, who is awarded a gift bottle of wine. Guests are each requested to bring two wine glasses for sampling the wine. Participants vary from those serious-ly focused on tasting and analyzing the wine, to those primarily interested in socialization with others while enjoying a variety of foods. —Hank Bruce,50th Anniversary Committee memberExploring the origins of Mini-TastingsOCWS HISTORY & FUN FACTSWINE AUCTION, from page 8Larkmead VineyardsMacRostie WineryBooker WinesEmercy WinesTurley WinesFuture Perfect WineParrish Family VineyardAlma Rosa Winery & VineyardsDenner VineyardsCrown Point VineyardsDeFalco Family Foods & WinesWine Guy & Wine GalEdgar Allen Poe SpeakeasyOrtiz Fire ProtectionShelton Fire Protection Hands On Wellness CenterSue EnglandEllen FlynnCathy & Lee PainterMichael SunJ’anna JenningsCarolyn & Damian ChristianAdrienne & Dino AmicoTricia SheltonLiquid Farm—Carolyn Christian,OCWS President
The OCWS Varietal Hours continue with new themes and new attendees.If you haven’t joined our Varietal Hours by now, here is your chance. As we continue into 2025, we have exciting new themes and are experiencing new members joining us.And the best thing? They are free. What started as a way of gathering during the COVID-19 quarantines has blos-somed 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 four 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. 4) And you won’t even have to drive home.So picture this…your own comfortable furniture. A glass of wine in your hand. Chatting with fun friends, some you know, some you may not. Right there in your own house with friends, old and new. And here’s the best part: You don’t even have to clean up everyone’s mess! We’re always happy to have new members 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 doesn’t matter 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 something for everyone. Varietal Hours are held 7 to 8 p.m. every other Tuesday.All you need is a computer (or phone) and internet con-Hooray for Tuesdays! New Year, More Funnection. If you are new to the Varietal Hours or to Zoom, please feel free to contact Don@OCWS.org for help and information, even if it means contacting 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. (24 hours before the event), 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 ChairAPRIL 29TIME:7 p.m.THEME:Wines from the Middle EastHO ST:Stewart FrickeMAY 13TIME:7 p.m.THEME:OCWS Gold Medal WinesHO ST:George CravensMAY 27TIME:7 p.m.THEME:Cooking with WineHO ST:Janet Riordan10 OCWS.org May 2025EventsVarietal HOURSJUNE 10TIME:7 p.m.THEME:Wine Varietal You've Never HadHO ST:Elee Phillips
EventsMay 2025 OCWS.org 11Ever 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 now available online at OCWS.org.SIGN UP TODAY:OCWS OutingAs wine afcionados, we have all experienced this. We have carefully chosen and ordered a bottle of wine at a restaurant. The waiter returns, opens it and pours us that rst taste. Something about it doesn’t seem quite right but we indicate our approv-al anyway. Then as soon as the waiter walks away, we begin to second guess our decision. Is this really how this wine is supposed to taste? Is that zzy attribute supposed to be there? Is that musty odor a problem or not?If you’ve ever been in that situation, you know that uncomfortable feeling and the self-doubt about speaking up. Should we call the waiter over and send it back? Is the wine really all that bad? So you suffer through the evening with something you don’t enjoy. To educate and train our members, the OCWS is once again offering a workshop to help you identify wine defects. It will be held at the home of OCWS member Don Mayer 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8 in Yorba Linda.This class will give you the knowl-edge to determine the quality of a wine you are served. With that knowledge, you also will gain the condence to question a wine that doesn’t meet that quality standard.Industry experts acknowledge that with corked bottles up to 5% of wine has attributes dened as a defect. However, restaurant returns do not match those numbers. The reason is that many wine consumers are not condent or adequately trained in recognizing a wine defect. In 2024, the expert judges at the OCWS Commercial Competition rejected 45 bottles. In 2023, 55 bottles were rejected. These numbers are lower than the industry averages, howev-er, they also shipped direct from the winery to our cellar, and did not sit in distributor or store warehouses or on shelves for an extended period of time. This OCWS workshop is designed to take advantage of our competition judges’ expertise. You will get the opportunity to sample the faulty wine rejected by judges and compare it to the fault-free version actually judged. The workshop will be structured to provide a comparison between a “good” and “bad” bottle of the same wine. From this, you will learn to identify the same attributes that prompts competition judges to reject a bottle of wine. Multiple examples of the same fault will be used so you can condently identify them.The workshop will be organized into groups so participants can identify the differences between the “good” and “bad” wines and describe the attri-butes of the defect. If possible, a vari-ety of wines with different faults will be used, giving you more examples of faulty wines. With the knowledge gained from this workshop, you’ll be able to identify a defective wine and be more condent in calling over that waiter to get a fresh bottle. Signups for this workshop are now open on the OCWS website. Light snacks will be served. Specic address information and other details will be sent to attendees approximately one week prior to the event.Space is limited so sign up today!—Don Mayer,Event CoordinatorLearn how to identify wine defects at June 8 classOCWS WORKSHOP
12 OCWS.org May 2025Wine Wisdom1Although Beaujolais was suppling wine to the taverns of Lyons in the 17th century the rst ve Beaujolais AOCs—Chiroubles, Chénas, Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent—were not created until:A) 1927B) 1936C) 1938D) 19462The regional Beaujolais AOC was created in 1937. The AOC Crus Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly and Juliénas were created in 1938, Saint-Amour was created in 1946 and AOC Beaujolais Villages was created in 1950. The last of the 10 AOC Crus, Régnié was created in:A) 1953B) 1955C) 1983D) 19883Beaujolais Nouveau, made only of gamay noir à jus blanc in Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages, was rst commercialized in 1951. The wine is made using semi-carbonic maceration with whole-bunch vinication to preserve the fresh fruit aromas. But what year was the third Thursday of November, Saint Martin’s Day, which celebrates the end of the winegrowing season, decreed to be the ofcial release date of Beaujolais Nouveau? A) 1955B) 1983C) 1985D) 19884The hills and mountains of Beaujolais, covered with vines, have an average altitude of 300 meters with peaks reaching over 600 meters. To practice winegrowing at an altitude of over 500 meters, and on extreme slopes inclined over 30% has been characterized as heroic viticulture due to the mountain environment. In addition to wine regions such as Cote-Rotie (FR), Aosta Valley (ITLY), Piedmont (ITLY) and the Douro (PORT), in which of these Beaujolais AOCs can some of the 3,000 hectares with extreme slopes be found:A) ChiroublesB) Cote de BrouillyC) JulienasD) All of the above5During WWII, U.S. military went overseas armed with the insecticide, DDT, to prevent insect diseases. European farmers started to use DDT to remove insects, which led to the use of other chemicals as herbicides. Seeing the advantages of increased productivity and yields, the use of chemicals became widespread. In the 1980s, Jules Chavet, a Beaujolais merchant, advised against the use of chemicals in winemaking. Beaujolais Rocks!I recently attended an education seminar on Beaujolais Appellations d’Origine Controlee (AOC) and was immediately struck by their emphasis on SOIL. Their welcoming poster boards read: “To understand our terroir, we must go back 180 million years ago to the marine invasion of the Jurassic Period”; “It took 300 million years to form our terroir;” “The soil in our region originated 400 million years ago, with the eruption of underwater volcanoes.” Then when the seminar began, they spoke of the two grapes, gamay noir à jus blanc and chardonnay, grown in the two regional appellations (Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages) and the 10 Beaujolais Crus and how over 300 different soils, the dominant rocks being the 180-million-year-old limestone, the 300-million-year-old pink granite and the 400-million-year-old blue stone have produced the amazing variations of Beaujolais wines. The Gamay grape, a natural cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc (which interestingly are the same parents of Chardonnay), ripens early and makes a bright red and lively wine with aromas of raspberry, strawberry, blackberry and black cherry. But enough verbiage … how about a quiz?TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGEsee QUIZ, page 13
May 2025 OCWS.org 13Wine WisdomTEST YOUR KNOWLEDGEChavet inuenced a group of four Morgon AOC winemakers to develop winemaking practices that have led to today’s natural, organic and biodynamic wines. These four Beaujolais winemakers were dubbed:A) The Four MusketeersB) The French Fab FourC) The Gang of FourD) The Four Amigos 6I do think French Beaujolais are lovely wines. They have diverse characteristics: fruity, round, delicate, spirited, refreshing, structured, silky and harmonious. And the winemakers take pride in having a wine for every palate. But where is Gamay grown in California?A) El Dorado AVAB) Santa Rita Hils AVAC) Arroyo Seco AVAD) All of the aboveNOTE:Each of the above California AVAs has a soil mixture that contains at least two of the dominant Beaujolais rocks: volcanic, decomposed granite and limestone.Finally, in 1990 due to DNA testing the grape-producing Napa Gamay was found to be Valdiguie, a grape variety from Languedoc-Roussillon in Southern France not the Gamay grape from Beaujolais.Answers: 1:B; 2:D; 3:C; 4:D; 5:C; 6:DSo, grab a Gamay wine, French or Californian, open it, and let it rock you with its diverse characteristics. Enjoy and cheers!—CL Keedy,Wine Education CommitteeWhen 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 us 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 RibbonQUIZ, from page 12
14 OCWS.org May 2025Winemakers GroupIf you’ve ever wanted to learn winemaking, here’s your chance. John Lane from our Winemakers Group will be conducting a Kit Winemaking Class on Saturday, June 28 at the Laguna Hills home of Ed Reyes. is is a great beginner’s class. All OCWS members are welcome to attend.A wine kit contains most everything you need to make a batch of wine: grape concentrate, additives, oak, basic equipment and instructions. It’s like follow-ing a recipe and having all the ingredients, only you’ll make wine instead of a meal. A kit can produce two to three cases of wine, ready to enjoy in about three months. It’s a fun and easy way to get started. You only need an area about the size of a large coat closet to make it happen.For aspiring winemakers, this class will teach you the basic skills you’ll need to make wine. Kits are a great springboard to making wine from grapes. Not sure if winemaking is for you? is class will give you an under-standing of the winemaking process to better appreciate what it takes to produce a glass of wine.Since our rst kit winemaking class more than 12 years ago, over 200 OCWS members have taken part. Many of our new winemakers started from these introductory classes. Using kits, many members have produced medal-winning wines at the OC Fair Home Wine Competition. In this class you will learn: kit selection, equipment needed, space requirements, step-by-step kit instructions, monitoring your wine throughout the process, racking/clarifying, storage/aging and bottling. is is a “hands-on” class. John will take you through the process using two separate kits. You’ll start an Italian Verdic-chio white wine in the rst half of the class. In the second half, you’ll nish and bottle an Italian Valpo-la, a deep-colored red wine, which you’ll get to take home. Cost to attend is $32 and at-tendance is extremely limited. e class will last roughly four hours. Coee and breakfast muns will be served before the class. We will have a lunch break around the halfway point. Lunch will be accompanied by wines from our Winemakers Group.Don’t miss this educational oppor-tunity! Sign up now on the OCWS website to attend. Who knows, maybe next year you’ll be entering your wines into the 50th annual OC Fair Home Wine Competition.—Ed Reyes, Ed@OCWS.orgLearn the basics of making kit winesTime is running out to enter your wines into this year’s OC Fair Home Wine Competition. Online entries must be submitted and all wines must be received by May 23, 2025.Don’t miss this opportunity to compete for bragging rights with your fellow winemakers. Awards include Best of Show, Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Last year, OCWS winemakers won numerous awards including Best of Show in the fruit wine category.This year’s judging takes place on Saturday, June Calling all WinemakersThe 49th annual OC Fair Home Wine Competition will be held on Saturday, June 7, at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. This is one of the largest home wine competitions in California.Organized and sponsored by the OCWS Winemakers Group, it is run entirely by volunteers from the OCWS. Volunteers, we need your help to make it a success.The competition is a one-day event and runs from 7:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m. All volunteers will be treated to a hot breakfast and lunch, courtesy of Calling all Volunteerssee ENTRIES, page 15see VOLUNTEERS, page 15
May 2025 OCWS.org 15NewsCommittee in search of 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!—OCWS 50th Anniversary Committee50th ANNIVERSARYENTRIES, from page 147 at the OC Fair and Event Center. Judging will be performed by panels of experienced winemakers and wine connoisseurs. Judges’ scoresheets and comments will be returned to you to help improve your winemaking skills.Will one of your wines win the top prize? You’ll never know unless you enter.Enter your wines on the OCWS website. Wines can be dropped off at the OCWS ofce during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. For questions about entering your wines, contact event chairman Kevin Donnelly at kevindonnelly@OCWS.org.—Ed Reyes, Ed@OCWS.orgVOLUNTEERS, from page 14the OCWS Cook’s Caucus. You will also get the opportunity to taste many of the award-winning wines after the judging is complete. If you’ve never tasted homemade wines, you may be surprised at the quality and craftmanship of the award winners.Volunteer positions include registration, stewards, data entry/scoring, food service, glass washing, and cleanup. There will be a brief orientation before the competition begins to familiarize everyone with their positions. No experience is needed and new volunteers will be paired with competition veterans. It’s a fun day and a great way to meet and mingle with your fellow OCWS members. Sign up today using the volunteer form on the OCWS website.For questions about volunteering, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Cheryl Knapp, cknapp@jps.netFor questions about the event, contact Event Chairman, Kevin Donnelly, KevinDonnelly@ocws.org.Sign-ups for The Courtyard at the OC Fair also are open. For all our events, the earlier you sign up, the better choices you will have. And there are even more opportu-nities when it comes to wineries. Help us promote the OC Fair Wine Com-petition by dropping off a brochure at your favorite tasting room or emailing your wine clubs. The deadline to enter wines in the Commercial Wine Com-petition is May 16. Email this link to your favorite California wineries: OCWS.ws/OCWineCompMessage.If you have already volunteered at some point this year, I thank you for your time.As we approach our 50th anniver-sary next year, I also invite you to share your memories of the organi-zation and share your ideas on events and souvenirs to help us commem-orate this milestone. Use this link to share your ideas: ocws.ws/50th.For new members… welcome to your wine journey. I encourage you to sign up for the OCWS Friends Pro-gram that pairs you with one of our seasoned members who can introduce you to others and show you the ropes.I am truly blessed to lead this orga-nization of over 1,000 members (one of the largest wine enthusiast groups in the nation). Wine is a very social endeavor. We are all on separate wine journeys together, and that makes each wine event more special. I look forward to seeing you at one of our future events. Cheers to you all!PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, from page 2
Feature Story16 OCWS.org May 2025John’s journey into winemaking wasn’t at the forefront when he and his wife, Mary Dee, joined the Orange County Wine Society in July 2023. Like most members, they joined the organization at The Courtyard at the OC Fair.They wanted to “expand their wine horizon” and thought the social aspect of the group would be fun. As John and Mary Dee began attending OCWS events, they heard about the Winemakers Group and how winemakers started the organization. John thought winemaking would be a unique way of learning about wine. Though not winemakers, they were impressed by the warm welcome they received at winemaker events. John’s in-terest was piqued and he was about to take the rst steps on his winemaking journey.He took a kit winemaking class, taught by OCWS winemaker, John Lane, in June 2024. A wine kit is a package containing concentrated grape juice, all the necessary ingredients, and instructions to make wine at home. Class participants got hands-on experience as they went through the pro-cess of making wine that day.Participants also learned about the Winemakers Group mentor program where experienced winemakers offer help to new winemakers. Mentors are experi-enced in white, rose and red winemaking techniques. They can help those who want to make wine from fresh grapes, frozen grapes, fruit (other than grapes), or a kit.John, the aspiring winemaker, asked Ed Reyes to be his mentor, partly because of Ed’s experience but also because they liter-ally live around the block from each other. “You don’t have to live around the block from your mentor,” says Ed. “Most of the time, help is just a text or phone call away.”Ed has helped a few other winemakers get started over the years. He describes mentoring as being part teacher and part coach. “I want to instruct and encourage new winemakers. I also want to pass along winemaking tricks that come from experience, things that someone wouldn’t normally pick up from a book or a class.”After the kit class, John said he “could imagine himself doing it.” He looked at some winemaking videos on the OCWS website and gained more condence. He was ready to jump in.From the videos and the class, he knew he needed to order an assortment of wine-making equipment and tools to get started. He also ordered a “Cabernet Sauvignon style” wine kit from Amazon, which includ-ed everything he had seen in the kit class.Before start day in late December, John had prepared a 10’ x 12’ area which was plenty of space to work in. He sanitized working surfaces and tools in advance so everything was ready to go when Ed arrived to supervise. After going over the kit instructions and double checking that every-thing was sanitized, it was time to begin.John simply followed the instructions. He added the grape juice concentrate from the kit into a 7.5-gallon fermentation bucket. Then he added puried water to get to six gallons of liquid in the bucket. The oak packet was added next followed by the yeast to begin fermentation.Starting the kit took less than two hours. John had some questions but Ed could see he already knew what to do. Sometimes a rst-time winemaker just needs verication that he or she is on the right track.A few days later John reported seeing bubbles on the top of the fermentation bucket, evidence of the yeast at work. Wine fermentation happens in an open container. When the yeast converts grape sugar to alcohol it produces CO2 bubbles which give off a wonderful fermentation smell. You really get the sense being in a winery. “You can even hear it,” said John. A few days later, the sugar level was zero. The yeast had done their job.The next day, John racked the wine into a six-gallon carboy on his own. Racking is transferring the wine to another container to leave any sediment behind. He degassed the wine and added sulte to protect the wine, sorbate to prevent fermentation from restarting, and ning agents to help clear particulate matter from the wine. These chemicals were all includ-ed in the wine kit. At this point the carboy was completely full and sealed with an air lock to keep oxygen out.Two weeks later, in mid-January, John and Ed got together to taste the wine. They determined the wine was doing well. It was getting close to bottling time and Jan. 28 was circled on the calendar as bottling day.Ed arrived on that day with his bottle corker. John had prepared an area outside with tools, hoses, equipment, corks and bottles all sanitized and ready. This time Mary Dee was there to help. With three people it took less than an hour to ll and cork 26 bottles. Some extra wine remained in the carboy but it didn’t go to waste. It was the celebratory drink for a job well done by a rst-time winemaker.About six weeks later, John, Mary Dee, Ed and his wife, Debbie, got together to ofcially sample the wine and see if it was as good as remembered on bottling day. After snifng and swirling the wine, everyone tasted it and pronounced it a success. It had been 12 weeks from start to tasting day.John is already planning his next wine, maybe another red but Mary Dee likes whites. He may even try making wine from frozen grapes, saying, “It would be nice to get some more experience before getting grapes in the fall.”John is thinking about expanding too. He’s eyeing the extra space in his three-car garage for winemaking equipment. John says Mary Dee is OK with that.A new winemaker has learned the ropes.WINEMAKER, from page 1After wine is placed in a carboy, the entire unit is stored in a cool area.
Photo of the MonthMay 2025 OCWS.org 17CHEERS TO A GOOD TIMEThis award-winning photo goes to OCWS member Jay Newell for his shot at the French vs. Italian Wines Mini- Tasting he and his wife, Betty Jo, hosted in March.The OCWS sponsors a photography contest and you are invited to partici-pate! 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 com-mittee will select a Photo of the Month for publication in the upcoming news-letter 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
2025UPCOMINGEVENTS18 OCWS.org May 2025June 10VARIETAL HOURS / WINE VARIETAL YOU’VE NEVER HAD / Via ZoomMAY 17OCWS OUTINGSycamore Ranch / CrestlineJune 7HOME WINE COMPETITIONOC Fair & Event Center / Costa MesaApril 29VARIETAL HOURS / WINES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST / Via ZoomMay 16WINERY PROGRAM / FALLBROOK WINERYHilton Hotel / Costa MesaJune 8WINE DEFECT IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOPHome of Don Mayer / Yorba LindaMay 10SPRING SOCIAL OC Fair & Event Center / Costa MesaJune 28MINI-TASTING / CALIFORNIA WINESVarious LocationsMay 31-June 1COMMERCIAL WINE COMPETITIONHilton Hotel / Costa MesaMay 13VARIETAL HOURS / OCWS GOLD MEDAL WINES Via ZoomMay 27VARIETAL HOURS / COOKING WITH WINE Via ZoomJune 28KIT WINEMAKING CLASS Home of Ed Reyes / Laguna Hills