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Call for New Member Ambassadors
Imagine walking into a room of over 100 people and not knowing a single person. It sounds a little daunting! That is currently what happens when a new member attends his or her first Wine Society event. What if that new member knew at least one or two other people in the room? Does that…
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Musings from the Cellar (Part 2)- Home Wine Versus Commercial Wine
Sharing a good bottle of wine is one of the great affordable pleasures in life. The shared experience elevates any occasion by enhancing the senses, relaxing one’s demeanor, all while expanding our palette of flavors and aromas that are delicate, subtle and nuanced. I still have a hard time reckoning how wine smells and tastes…
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President’s Message
by Fred Heinecke This is my final President’s Message. Thanks to all the members of the Orange County Wine Society for making it a memorable and successful year. This has been a great time and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your president. There are more thank yous to go…
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Gold Medal Mini-Tasting Wrap-Up
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…
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BEFORE THE FAIR
It took our set-up crew over eight weeks to set up The Courtyard at the 2026 OC Fair. We have dedicated volunteers that provide one of the best venues. We all hope that you enjoy how we transformed The Courtyard for our 50th anniversary. We repainted the refrigerator, decorated, served fantastic lunches for seven days,…
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Expect the Unexpected When it Comes to Harvest
“SOME CALIFORNIA WINE GRAPE GROWERS SEE EARLIEST HARVEST IN DECADES” – Sacramento Bee; “EARLIEST HARVEST IN 40 YEARS KICKS OFF IN SONOMA COUNTY” = The Press Democrat; “WE’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT: EARLY HARVEST…” – New York Times; “HEATWAVES AND DROUGHT LEAD TO EARLY GRAPE HARVEST” – BBC; “LODI GRAPE HARVEST BEGINS WEEKS AHEAD…
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50TH ANNIVERSARY SWAG
Ready to show your OCWS 50thanniversary spirit at future OCWSevents? We have 50th anniversarySWAG available for purchase.Wear a 50th anniversary lapel pinor embroidered patch with yourOCWS hat, shirt and/or apron.—50th Anniversary CommitteeSWAG ITEM PRICE50th AnniversaryWaterproof Sticker $250th AnniversaryMagnets $450th AnniversaryLapel Pins $550th AnniversaryIron-on EmbroideredPatch $850th AnniversaryWine Opener $850th AnniversaryGlass Toppers $6/each$10/pair50th AnniversaryTea Towels $8/each$15/pair50th AnniversaryWine…
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President’s Message
By Fred Heinecke The annual OCWS business meeting is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. All members are invited and this is a great opportunity to hear from the board members and committee chairs on the state of the organization. The Board of Directors candidates will have the opportunity to speak about…
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OCWS on the Road: Sips Happening in Santa Ynez Valley
The event is sold out at this time. Call the office if you want to be on a waitlist. Signups for a trip in November to the Santa Ynez Valley are in full swing. Those interested can go to OCWS.org and find the trip under the “Events” tab. In case you missed the details, the…
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