Wendy Taylor

OCWS Board of Directors Election

Well, wasn’t that fun being able to get together with your friends and fellow members at the Commercial Wine Competition? If you missed it, we missed seeing you.

With that being said: it’s time to think about running for the OCWS Board of Directors. As you all know, our year has been a struggle. We have three great people whose terms are up this year.

Have you thought about getting more involved with the OCWS outside of volunteering for or attending various OCWS related events? If you are innovative, open-minded, possess good interpersonal skills, are results oriented and a problem solver, then a position as a Director of the OCWS just might be right for you.

The beginning of a three-year term of the nine members of the Board of Directors, according to the Bylaws, shall be staggered such that three members’ terms will expire each year. The three vacated Board positions will be filled each year by a vote of the OCWS membership, following the Annual Business Meeting on September 10. The meeting will be held virtually again this year.

The overall time commitment for a member of the Board varies, based on assignments and participation. We are moving from having the Board manage some events to having our members run the event with a Board coordinator being the liaison to the Board regarding budgets, event timing and placement.

A candidate should possess some of the following skills and experience as well:

  • General knowledge of OCWS events and activities
  • Experience as a volunteer in some events
  • The ability and time to organize events during the year
  • Selected event and budget management skills
  • Be a member in good standing

To declare your candidacy for a position on the Board, the candidate must present their Declaration of Candidacy in writing, by mail or via electronic media to the Election Chair no later than fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the scheduled Annual Business Meeting which is Friday, August 27, 2021.

During the Annual Business Meeting, you will have the opportunity to speak to the membership and present your qualifications. A written Statement of Qualifications must be presented to the Election Committee no later than five (5) calendar days after your Declaration of Candidacy.

If being an OCWS leader interests you, feel free to contact Greg Hagadorn with any questions related to Director Responsibilities, the election process or anything related to the election. I can be reached at 714.388.8803 or at Greg@ocws.org.

– Greg Hagadorn, 2021 Election Chair

– Leslie Brown 2021 Election Committee Member

– Jolen Zeroski 2021 Election Committee Member

Judges with Hearts of Gold

All of our OC Fair Commercial Competition judges have huge hearts, but there are always a handful whose love and support of the OCWS goes above and beyond. This year six judges donated their stipends back to the OCWS as contributions to our scholarship fund. Thanks to the following judges, our scholarship fund now has an additional $1,800.00 to grant to students in the future.

  • Joseph S. Franzia, Forest Glen Winery
  • Linda McWilliams, San Pasqual Winery
  • Joel Peterson, Once and Future Wines
  • Oscar Ramos, Ramos Torres Wines
  • H. Marty Spate, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers
  • Fred Wiebel, Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery

Should you have the good fortune to cross paths with any of these amazing people, please remember to thank them for their kindness and generosity on behalf of the OCWS.

– Fran Gitsham, Commercial Wine Competition Committee

Eight Medals Awarded to Allan Hancock College Winery

As the Scholarship Program Chair, I personally reached out to five of our viticulture and enology colleges and universities to encourage them to enter the 2021 Commercial Wine Competition.

Sadly, some replies were “maybe next year” due to recent pandemic and wildfire restrictions on campus. There has been excellent research, however, the revenue generated for wine and grape sales barely covered campus operational costs.

We were delighted that Allan Hancock College entered the Competition this year and congratulate them on their winning wines and contemporary label design.

This is the 100th Anniversary of Allan Hancock College, and they have entered wines in the Competition since 2016 and have been consistent medal winners. This year they were awarded seven wine medals, all 2019 vintages. Some were produced from vineyards in Paso Robles and Santa Ynez Valley, and some from their own on-campus vineyard in Santa Maria. Please visit their website at hancockcollege.edu/winery, (try their Centennial Blanc de Noirs).

The judges awarded Allen Hancock College two Gold Medals for their Chardonnay and Torrontes, and five Silver Medals for Albarino, Grenache, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Another Gold Medal was awarded in the Contemporary Design category during our Label Competition, which took place during the event.

While serving Allan Hancock College wines during the OC Fair, please remind our guests how especially proud the OCWS is to support the college and university scholarship programs and all the students who rose to the challenges.

– Leslie Hodowanec, Director & Scholarship Chair

President’s Message

June has arrived, and we enter the most important three months of the OC Wine Society’s calendar from a business perspective. On June 5 and 6 we host the OC Fair’s Commercial Wine Competition, on June 12 we host the Home Wine Competition, and from July 16 to August 15 we host the OC Fair’s Wine Courtyard. The Commercial Wine Competition is when the OCWS brings in the wines, and The Courtyard at the OC Fair, our largest fundraiser of the year, coupled with income from our Wine Auction, sustains the organization financially for the following year.

During these months, we appreciate all of the time you, our members, volunteer to work at these events. But these are also the times when we get to know other members, and many of these members will become your lifelong friends. The bonds we make at our events are what gives the heart to the Orange County Wine Society and are the reason so many of our members have stayed as members for 10, 20, 30, and even more than 40 years! If you haven’t worked at one or all of these events in past years, I encourage you to explore openings and see where you can fit in, and I hope you all become long-term members!

Looking out into the future, we are hoping to start resuming our social activities this fall. The upcoming relieving of the COVID19 restrictions by the State and the Orange County Health Department and scheduling The Courtyard during the OC Fair are issues we are currently dealing with. We will also look at the ability to conduct our long-delayed Wine Auction sometime in the fall, so keep your eyes open for our upcoming announcements once we get past the OC Fair.

I hope to see many of you over the next few weeks and months! Social time is coming, cheers!

Kevin Donnelly, President

Gold Medal Mini-Tasting

It’s been quite a long time since we’ve been able to hold a Mini-Tasting, and the Gold Medal Mini-Tasting is traditionally the most popular one of the year. This year, since we’re still working towards opening up from the pandemic, we are planning to schedule the Gold Medal Mini-Tasting after the OC Fair. This will allow time to arrange for a larger number of host sites, each with a smaller guest list so that everyone will be comfortable and safe.

Tentatively, we are thinking about Saturday, September 11 (the week after Labor Day). We hope to be able to have as many sites as possible host the tasting outdoors, so smaller groups will make this easier to facilitate. If you are interested in hosting the mini-tasting, please contact George Cravens at George@ocws.org. We plan to have the details worked out in time for the July Newsletter, with sign-ups starting in August. Thank you for your patience. We are all looking forward to getting back together again. Cheers!

– George Cravens, Mini-Tasting Committee Chair

2021 Wine Auction

The Wine Auction Committee would like to update the OCWS membership with the latest information on the 2021 Wine Auction. We, like so many of you, look forward to this event every year. With the closure of the Fairgrounds in 2020, we were forced to cancel the Auction last year. Over the last several months, we were anxiously awaiting the confirmation that the OC Fair and the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition would be held as scheduled. With both the Fair and Competition just around the corner, we are all focused on making both events a success for the OCWS.

While we were not able to hold the Auction in the spring, which is our typical timeframe, we still plan to have a Wine Auction in 2021. Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming Wine Auction which we plan to hold in person this fall, if at all possible. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you are interested in being on the Wine Auction Committee, we are still looking for more committee members. Please reach out to me at Carolyn@ocws.org.

– Carolyn Christian, Wine Auction Committee Chair

In Memoriam

ERIC W. MARTENS
February 23, 1940 – April 12, 2021

We regret to inform the membership of the recent passing of Eric Martens, a many-year member of the Orange County Wine Society.

Eric can be remembered by his willingness and enthusiasm to work The Courtyard every year serving wine, managing, and acting as Wine Steward. He was also an avid member of the Cooks’ Caucus, where he delighted in cooking delicious meals for our members during many of our events.

In his life outside the OCWS, Eric was a prominent attorney who practiced law in both Orange and Los Angeles County. Additionally, as an avid patriot and historian, Eric was a professional officer in the California State Guard, recently retiring as a full colonel in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Eric’s wife, Barbara, preceded him in passing. He is survived by his daughters, Erin and Elise, as well as four stepchildren, Zane, Zach, Zale, and Kim, and many grandchildren.

He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

– John Goodnight, OCWS President Emeritus

Sign Up & Get Your VRPs

The re-opening of the OC Fair is providing our members many opportunities for volunteering, and we need your help. Now is the time the OCWS can use help from our members in a variety of areas for which you may find yourself well suited! VRPs, or Volunteer Recognition Points, are incentives designated to members who volunteer, and now that we are getting re-established, there are many ways your time and effort will be greatly appreciated and rewarded.

Consider signing up to serve at The Courtyard. The Courtyard is also a nice place to enjoy the Fair from the other side of the counter—get there before your shift or come on your day off using your OCWS pass. However, before we can open The Courtyard, we need a set-up and tear-down team in order to pass the inspections to serve our award-winning wines at the Fair. Wines need to be judged at the Commercial Wine Competition, and volunteers are needed several days prior for sorting, bagging and transporting to the Hilton hotel and back. Coinciding with these activities, the OCWS Winemakers’ Group also requires members access to The Hangar for this year’s Home Wine Competition. And looking further ahead, volunteers will be needed for the Wine Auction.

Volunteers are always welcome to engage with hosting a Zoom evening of Varietal Hours and other educational and entertaining tastings. Our OCWS production team will help set it up. As you can see, there are many ways for members to stay involved, contribute and earn VRPs.

We encourage our members to get involved and back together with each other. We can always count on you to help the OCWS set an example for success this special 45th Anniversary year.

You can do it all and sign up for upcoming activities on the ocws.org website. And remember to wear your OCWS name tags during all events. We will be happy to see you and be able to serve together again.

– George Cravens, Volunteer Recognition Chair
– Leslie Hodowanec, Director

President’s Message

May has arrived, and the OC Wine Society is moving closer to both the Commercial Wine Competition and the Home Wine Competition. Because of the cancellation of last year’s Competitions and the pandemic delays which extended into this year, we were late in starting our marketing and as a result, we are not sure how many entries we will receive for both events.

Several of our members have put forth a fabulous effort to contact 1,400 wineries by phone to remind them that our entry deadlines are approaching and to please submit their wines. Thank you to everyone involved in this great effort!

This month we will be looking to get our members to volunteer to help with the receiving, sorting, and bagging of wines in preparation for the Commercial Wine Competition to be held at the Hilton Hotel June 5 through the 6, and the Home Wine Competition at The Courtyard on June 12. Our two Competitions and the upcoming Courtyard at the OC Fair are critical to our core mission of supporting wine education and the financial success of the organization.

And some fabulous news, Governor Newsom has announced that if we continue with our decreasing COVID numbers, California will “open up” on June 15 for full activities!

Since this date is after our two Competitions, it will not affect our social distancing and mask restrictions. But it will be in time for the OC Fair, and hopefully the OCWS can start resuming our social activities after the Fair this coming fall.

This will be welcome news for all of us, for the state, and soon for the country.

Stay healthy everyone, and I hope to actually see you over the coming months!

Social time is coming, cheers!

Kevin Donnelly, President