This year’s Gold Medal Mini Tasting lineup consisted of 10 Double Gold selections with four of the wines selected as Best of Class winners. The evenings scoring across the 12 host sites showed a clear preference by the OCWS membership attending.
Reds decisively carried the evening, with the robust Italian and California heritage varieties locking down the top half of the leaderboard.
- The Podium Finishers: Macchia Primitivo (Wine 4B) took first place with 137 points, closely followed by Eberle’s Barbera (Wine 4A) at 135 points, and Miro’s Zinfandel (Wine 5A) taking third with 122 points.
- The Heavy-Hitting Midpack: Pinot Noir (Wine 3B) and Cabernet Sauvignon (Wine 5B) maintained strong showings right below the podium, pulling 117 and 105 points respectively.
- The Lighter Styles: Lighter or more delicate pours—such as Cinsault, Grenache, Sparkling, Chardonnay, and Rosé—clustered at the bottom, all scoring under 80 points.
The room clearly favored bold, fruit-forward and high-tannin profiles over the lighter-styled entries. A hearty thank you to all the hosts and the 180 members and guests who participated.
The next Mini Tasting will be November 14th, mark your calendars.
Thanks,
Don Mayer, OCWS Mini-Tasting Chair
Chef of the Evening Winners
| Pam Clause | Chicken Pesto with Ziti |
| Mike Levine | Chile Relleno Dip |
| John & Diane Strimel | Paella |
| Jean Rico | Chili Relleno Casserole |
| Kate English | Fruit Pizza |
| Tomie Casey | Chocolate Cake – Better than Sex |
| Alison Godleski | Salad with Shrimp |
| Adrienne Davis | Stuffed Mushrooms |
| Betty Jo & Jay | Jolen Potatoes |
| Pat Solis | Macaroni & Cheese |
| Harold Morehead | Banana Cheesecake |
| Linda Downey | Lemon Curd Parfait with Rasberry Liquor |
We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Mini-Tasting on November 14, where we will tackle one of the most intriguing debates in the wine world: Does Price Matter?
As wine lovers, we often find ourselves standing in the aisle or browsing a list, wondering if that higher price tag truly translates to a superior glass in our hand. This session invites you to look beyond the label and explore the fascinating intersection of economics, perception, and pleasure in every pour.
To unpack this question, our tasting will delve into the core elements of pricing from a marketing perspective, examining what the market is truly willing to bear for a bottle. When we invest in a premium wine, we have to ask ourselves: are we paying for an objectively exceptional product crafted with meticulous care, or are we simply funding a grandiose, fancy tasting room and high-end packaging? Understanding the business behind the bottle helps demystify why two seemingly similar wines can command vastly different prices on the shelf.
To put these theories to the test, our event will feature a direct side-by-side comparison across five distinct wine varietals, pitting a higher-priced bottle (>$35) against a lower-priced counterpart (<$25).
To ensure a fair evaluation, each round will compare two Gold Medal award-winning wines from this year’s Commercial Competition. When faced with the blind pour, will we actually be able to tell the difference, and where will our collective preference ultimately land? Sign up soon as space is limited for what promises to be a revealing and memorable evening of discovery.