The second Mini-Tasting of the year will be held on Saturday, May 22, at 6:00 p.m. at various host sites. Twelve wines will be provided and grouped into six flights for serving at each site. There will be a few hard to find wines in this tasting. In addition to these being Jim’s favorite three wines, they all pair well with meat. Now that the weather has warmed up, fire up those grills and bring your favorite recipe!

Host sites will be announced to those attending approximately one week prior to the event, including directions and a map to the host site. Every effort is made to place you at the location nearest your home or to accommodate your site-specific request. However, your assigned host site is also based on the order in which your sign-up is received in the OCWS office. If you are interested in hosting the event, have attended at least one Mini-Tasting and can easily accommodate 16 people plus yourself, call Janet Hammond at 714.708.1636. If you serve as hosts, you attend the Mini-Tasting for free. The cost to attend is $25 for members and $30 for guests. Each person attending is requested to bring a potluck dish (appetizer, entrée, side dish, or dessert) to serve at least 8 to 10 people and designed to match the theme of the tasting (couples may need to double the recipe).

As usual, there will be a special bottle of wine at each site as a prize for Chef-of-the-Evening. Get out those gourmet cookbooks and try something special to share. Our Chefs-of-the-Evening may have their recipe published on the OCWS website. Recipes to complement these red wines may be found either in your favorite cook book or try a couple from the web. 

To attend, just complete the sign-up in this newsletter or on the OCWS website. We are currently planning a maximum of six sites so the Mini-Tasting is limited to a maximum of 96 attendees. Wines for the evening are selected and purchased approximately one week prior to the event. Therefore, unless there is a waiting list you will not be refunded your money if you cannot attend. Cut-off date for event sign up is Wednesday, May 12.

Desserts may be limited at the discretion of the host. We ask each attendee to call the host 2 to 4 days prior to the tasting to advise the host what food the attendee desires to bring. Using this approach, attendees will enjoy a greater variety of food pairings with delicious wines. We have a high attendance at our Mini-Tasting Program, and as such, we encourage you to sign-up early as some sites tend to fill quickly.

Bon Appétit,

Jim Beard
Ron Gottesman