By Fred Heinecke
The holidays … they are the best time of times and the busiest of times. Thanksgiving leftovers have been fashioned into turkey and cranberry sandwiches and heartily consumed. The holiday decorations are out of the box and in their December niches. The parking at the mall is actually worse than you remembered and each day your mail box has enough catalogues to sink a small battleship.
With all the hustle and bustle, it is all too easy to forget the holidays are about friends and family. For 49 years the Orange County Wine Society has been bringing friends together over a glass of wine, often with a fine meal. We should not forget that there is always a wine that pairs well with beef, lamb and difficult relatives.
This year, December presents three fun get-togethers; the Holiday Dinner Dance on Dec. 5; the Seis Soles Wine Tasting and Candle Making on Dec. 10; and the Winemakers holiday party on Dec. 20. Next year, we celebrate the organization’s golden jubilee starting with the 50th Anniversary Champagne Brunch on January 11.
All of these events keep with the OCWS holiday traditions and thus I would like to offer a toast.
May your year be full with good friends
May your glass be full with good wine
May your heart be filled with joy
May you always have a good time
Cheers and Happy Holidays!
P.S. There is one long-standing tradition in our home that has evolved. In days of old, chocolate chip cookies and cold milk were dutifully left out on Christmas Eve. In modern times, an open bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a glass are placed near a charcuterie board.