Author: Wendy Taylor

By Greg Risling

There is no question when New Year’s Eve rolls around, there is an abundance of festivities for you to choose.

But what you might not know is there are wineries across Southern California who host NYE events that cater not just to their wine club members. There are galas for the more refined wine drinker or even family-oriented gatherings.

You can find a good variety in Temecula, home to nearly 50 wineries. While thousands of people cram into Times Square to watch the big ball drop in New York City, Temecula attracts up to 4,000 people for its annual NYE Grape Drop.

For more than a decade, people have flocked to Old Town to see giant grapes descend from the bell tower at City Hall. There is typically live music, food vendors and activities for the kids. This year, there will be a drone show that will culminate with the Grape Drop to coincide with the East Coast midnight countdown.

“The New Year’s Eve Grape Drop is a family-friendly event that allows the community to celebrate the incoming new year with activities, live music and food,” said Tracy Tomines, a city spokesperson. “The city of Temecula is proud to have been nominated for USA Today’s favorite New Year’s Eve drop, as it brings attention to Southern California’s beautiful wine county.”

At nearby Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards, they are not going to celebrate just once but twice on New Year’s Eve as a way to mark the winery’s 25^th anniversary. Starting at 6 p.m., guests can indulge in a four-course, wine-paired dinner ($220) in the Winemaker’s Loft. The East Coast Elegance event, a black-tie affair, will cover up until the clock strikes midnight back east.

And for those who can muster another couple of hours or just want to attend the West Coast Party Vibes event, there will be a dance party with a live DJ and a dessert and coffee bar ($100) that will be cranking until we celebrate 2025 here on the West Coast.

“A lot of wineries skip NYE events, but for us, it’s a night filled with joy, laughter and great wine under the stars,” said Wendy Holder, Wilson Creek’s vice president of marketing. “It’s an experience unlike any other—where you can toast to new beginnings in the heart of wine country, surrounded by friends old and new. It’s our way of making sure that the new year starts off with a little magic.”

Also hosting a grand event is Europa Village Wineries & Resort in Temecula. It’s a 007 soiree, celebrating James Bond and Casino Royale. Guests will be swept into the elegance, mystery and thrill of the aforementioned film. They can sip on signature cocktails, be treated to a three-course dinner, enjoy an array of casino games and strike the Bond pose in a glamorous photo booth. Tickets are $190 and the event runs 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Closer to home, McClain Cellars is hosting a black tie New Year’s Eve Gala at its exclusive Irvine Members Lounge. The event includes live music, dinner and the Laguna Beach winery’s finest wines to toast to new beginnings. The gala is 8 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday Dec. 31.

Compiled by the 50thAnniversary Committee Hank Bruce, Carolyn Christian, Linda Flemins & Jane Goodnight

As we approach our 50^th anniversary as an organization, the Orange County Wine Society has started a committee to pull together the history of the organization over the last five decades. 

The committee has been researching, documenting and collecting historical information including a complete list of the board members since 1976, the various mega-tastings like the Wine Classic and Wine Extraordinaire, statistics on the various years of the OC Fair Wine Competitions and The Courtyard, timelines and milestones of the organization and much more.

To collect personal accounts of the organization, the committee started the Vintage Member Luncheons. These events have been both successful and incredibly fun. Our ultimate goal is to produce a history of the organization’s first 50 years.

The luncheons feature various stations where longtime members can view old videos taken by our own Charley Owen, view and identify photos from early events, share their own stories with interviewers and contribute to idea boards for things like 50^th anniversary events and keepsakes.  All of this is designed to trigger memories of the early years.

OCWS members who have attended the Vintage Member Luncheons have had a great time sharing memories of bus trips to Temecula and Paso Robles and cruises to Mexico.  Being together with other vintage members in this social setting has greatly facilitated our ability to gather information that is not documented elsewhere. Believe it or not, a few of our original members such as Jane Goodnight and Judy Brady are still active. And the memories that attendees shared made it seems like only yesterday.

Here is a taste of some of the things that were shared…

• Charley Owen always had his video camera with him, but no one ever saw the videos, so there was a rumor they didn’t exist (thankfully the family donated the videos to OCWS and we are preserving them for the future!).
• Attendees who watched the videos, marveled at the younger and thinner versions of themselves on the screen.
• Wine glasses from previous events had various logo designs, many of them designed by OCWS member and artist Marjorie Trout who passed away recently.
• The OCWS Recipe Book was published in 1992 and it was not as popular at the OC Fair as hoped, so many were given away to members years later.
• Members had fond memories of our competition judges and their antics, such as Kent Rosenblum and his endless supply of Sven and Ollie jokes.
• Attendees shared stories of the various winemakers who presented at the OCWS anniversary tastings, which have been held every five years.
• Attendees brought historical items for others to view: glasses, awards, award booklets (before WineCompetition.com was created), posters and more.
• In the early days at the OC Fair (late 1970s), OCWS was required to serve food with the wine tastings and the organization had a yellow submarine next to our wine booth that made sandwiches.

In addition to sharing memories, attendees are treated to a gourmet lunch and wine. 

Invitations are being sent out based on the member’s join date. The first two luncheons included those who joined between 1976 and 2000.  We are currently in the process of planning our third luncheon.  If you are invited to a luncheon but unable to attend, you will be invited again until you are able to attend one. 

To allow all members to attend these luncheons, we are limiting members to attending only one luncheon.  Watch your email for an invitation in the future as we include more recent members.

Merchandise will be available for sale at upcoming Orange County Wine Society events. Aprons and hats (four standard colors) are always available online as they are one size fits most.

But did you know the OCWS logocan be added to other apparel?

If you don’t see a style, size or color that I’m selling, a shirt from home can be an option. The logo looks great on a fleece vest or denim jacket too! For custom apparel, there is a $15 embroidery fee. Bring your item to an event or drop it off
in the OCWS office. Merchandise also will be available at upcoming Winemakers’ Group dinners, January through May.

—Courtney, Merchandise Maven

Last month, we recognized our top volunteers at the NEW Volunteer Recognition Reception. Our hope is to make this an annual tradition.

Pre-COVID, we recognized our volunteers at the Annual Business Meeting in September. When we moved the annual meeting online, the OCWS Board recognized that this was a better format for the financial review of the organization. However, while the online format worked well for the business meeting portion, it was not the best format for recognizing volunteers. As such, we decided to hold an in-person event to celebrate our amazing volunteers who put in more than 23,000 hours between September 2023 and August 2024.

The event featured appetizers from Newport Rib Company and wine from the OCWS Cellar. Volunteers were recognized at three levels (Gold, Silver and Bronze) based on the number of hours they volunteered. In addition to being invited to the Volunteer Recognition Reception, the volunteers received printed certificates, and an online coupon good toward a future OCWS event ($50, $25 and $10, respectively). We would like to recognize the following volunteers for their many hours of service to the organization:

Volunteers that make a Difference

The afternoon soiree ended with the most coveted OCWS award, the President’s Award, given to this year’s top volunteer or volunteers who have given amazing service to the organization, not only this year, but over many years.

Thank you to the committee who made this year’s Volunteer Recognition Reception possible: Rochelle Randel, Don Mayer, Sue England and Carolyn Christian.

Congratulations to all the volunteer award winners. For those who were unable to attend the reception, your names will be posted on the OCWS website and you will see your online discount coupon in your account no later than November 1^.

—Carolyn Christian, OCWS President

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

¼ cup vegetable broth (I used lemon wine)

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (divided)

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

½ tsp. lemon zest

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper

11/2 lbs. fresh cod

For the sauce: heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add red pepper flakes and garlic, sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until soft and blistered. (9-12mins) Stir in liquid and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Simmer gently, then add basil and 2 tbsp. lemon juice, zest, salt, sugar and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, set aside.

For the cod:

Heat olive oil in another pan over medium heat. Season cod with salt & pepper.

Cook until golden brown. About 3 minutes per side. Pour the tomato basil sauce over the cod, warm up for a minute, enjoy!