Wendy Taylor

New Member Promotion

COVID-19 has sidelined us, to say the least. The virus made us hunker down and forced us to find creative ways to virtually stay social. Various virtual OCWS wine seminars have taken place and will continue throughout the year for members to sign up and enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. This being the case, we thought we would reach out to our members with a promotional opportunity to invite your friends to get in on our exciting virtual opportunities by becoming members of the OCWS. 

Do you have a friend or two or even three who has expressed an interest in wine? Even without the 2020 OC Fair taking place this year, we are running a membership promotion.

If your friend joins as a new member (former members are excluded), they will receive a $15 credit per member ($15 for a single membership, $30 for a dual membership) that they can use to attend any event prior to July 1, 2021. Shoot, that makes joining almost cost free! The credit cannot be used to purchase merchandise or for membership renewal fees.

So talk it up among your wine loving friends—knowing you, they know how much fun it is being a member of the OCWS. You all know how much fun this club is. New members can sign up through our website at ocws.org.

– Brian McDonald,
Director & Membership Chair

Last Call to Declare to Run for an OCWS Board Seat

Over the last several months, the Membership Committee has posted an article in The Wine Press calling on members who have an interest in running for a OCWS Board seat to do so.

The What. In recent articles, we have outlined the overall time commitment, possession of certain skills and experience, and seeking individuals who are innovative, open-minded, results oriented, and problem solvers. All of these requirements are not unique, and most of us possess them.

We want you to seriously consider, and encourage you, to run for a seat on the OCWS Board!

The Why. As we see it, there are four major benefits of serving on the Board:

1. You play a key role in strategizing. When you serve on the Board, you have the honor, challenge, and responsibility of understanding how everything needs to work together to accomplish the OCWS’ goals and mission. It’s invigorating.

2. Giving of your time and talents, it’s really important, but also incredibly rewarding.

3. Your voice is heard, and it has an impact. And you will hear the impactful voices of other members, too.

4. Like most everything else in life, you find that you get what you give. You will care more than you thought you could, and as you grow into your role on the Board, you will contribute more. “To contribute to something is meaningful . . . to allow something meaningful to contribute to you.” It certainly does work both ways!

The Who. 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 in September. We have two members that cannot run again so two positions will need to be filled by new members.

The When. Time is running out as we are approaching the deadline of receiving your written Declaration of Candidacy statement which is due no later than August 28th. 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.

The Where. During the Annual Business Meeting, you will have the opportunity to present yourself 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.

The How. 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, 2020 Election Chair

Leslie Brown & Jolen Zeroski,
2020 Election Committee Members

Wine Education 101: Pour Me Another Glass of Vitis Vinifera

Grapes that are made into wine are often referred to as “Vitis vinifera”.  But are all wine grapes Vitis vinifera?  Can wine be made from grapes that are not Vitis vinifera?  To understand what Vitis vinifera means, we should first understand the basics of Taxonomy, the science involved with the classification of organisms.  We can thank Aristotle for first creating the classification of things as either animal, plant or mineral and further subdivisions based on how they looked or behaved.  However, it was in the 1700s that Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus developed our current binomial system of Taxonomy.  The Linnaean Classification system has every animal, plant or microbe given a two-part name.  The first part is Genus (broad) and the second part is Species (specific).  Some familiar binomial names you may be familiar with include:  Tyrannosaurus rex, Gorilla gorilla, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Oenococcus oeni.  Linnaean taxonomic ranks further divided all living things into increasingly more specific divisions such as:  Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

So, with this basic understanding of Taxonomy we know that Vitis is the genus (grapevines), and vinifera is the specific species of this grapevine. Vitis vinifera is a member of the Vitaceae family of woody, climbing vines and is native to the Mediterranean, Central Europe and southwest Asia.

Vitis vinifera is known as the “wine grape” because it is believed to produce some of the best tasting wine.  Most of our well-loved varietal wines belong to this Genus/species:  Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Syrah, Malbec, Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Mourvedre, Zinfandel, etc.  Our favorite table grape, Thompson Seedless, is also of the Vitis vinifera species and while it doesn’t produce a favorable wine, is great for snacking and dried to raisins.

While the Mediterranean and Europe have their native Vitis vinifera, North America has its own native grape varietals.  The “genus” is the same Vitis, however, the “species” are different from the European vinifera.  Unfortunately, these native American vines often produce a less favorable wine, having an unpleasant “foxy” taste. Because the wines from native American vines are not as pleasant tasting as the European Vitis vinifera, there is less demand and popularity among wine connoisseurs for these varietals.  However, many of these wines are still found in the East Coast or Midwest, where the vines originated from.

The main native American vine species include:

  • Vitis labrusca – produces Concord, Niagara, Cayuga, Catawba and Antoinette varieties.
  • Vitis riparia – a Midwestern variety that produces Bacchus, Baco Noir, Elvira, Frontenac, Marechal Foch, and Triomphe d’Alsace.
  • Vitis rotundifolia – a Southeastern variety that produces the Muscadine grape.
  • Vitis aestivalis – a Midwest favorite that produces the Norton grape – possibly the best tasting wine of the native American varietals.
  • Vitis rupestris – an Eastern variety with high disease resistance and produces Vignoles, Vidal Blanc, Aurore, DeChaunac, Chancellor (French-American hybrids)

While Vitis vinifera wines may taste better than other Vitis species, they also have roots that are susceptible to the root-damaging louse, phylloxera.  In the late 19th century, phylloxera devastated the vineyards in Europe when they were accidentally brought in from imported American grapevines.  These American grapevines had long ago adapted to phylloxera and became resistant to the root-damaging louse.

To overcome the damaging effects of phylloxera, many grape growers experimented with cross-breeding of Vitis vinifera and the phylloxera-resistant American varietals.  These varietals became known as “French-American hybrids”.  While these hybrids were successfully phylloxera-resistant, they didn’t match up to the same high quality taste of the European Vitis vinifera

To solve this problem, grape cultivators found that they could graft the Vitis vinifera vine onto the rootstock of the phylloxera-resistant native American varietals.  This solution produced the same high-quality tasting European Vitis vinifera grapes on phylloxera-resistant native American rootstocks.  To this day, this is still common viticulture practice for Vitis vinifera vines in Europe, America, and other areas where phylloxera is a problem.  In sandy soils where phylloxera is not a problem, you may still find Vitis vinifera grapevines on their own rootstock (some connoisseurs believe this results in better tasting wine).

So, enjoy your glass of Vitis vinifera, while giving thanks to the native American varietals that saved this great-tasting species from extinction!

Irene Scott, WSET-3, CSWS

UC Davis Winemaking Certificate

OCWS Wine Education Chair

Wine Education 101: Wine Trivia and other interesting tidbits!

· Most domesticated grapevines have both male and female reproductive structures and are self-pollinated by wind. [1]

· The first U.S. AVA region was the Augusta AVA in Missouri. This AVA was federally approved on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA in California. [2]

· During Prohibition, Alicante Bouschet was the most popular grape varietal for winemaking because of its darker color and its thicker skins allowed for more successful train transportation to the East Coast. [3]

· The Norton grape varietal is thought to be the oldest American grape used for commercial production. This grape varietal also has the highest levels of resveratrol – a beneficial antioxidant. [4]

· The oldest-known winery is the “Areni-1” cave, discovered in Armenia in 2007. This winery is dated to c. 4100 BC and contains evidence of a wine press, fermentation vats, drinking cups and storage jars.  Scientists also discovered evidence of Vitis vinifera seeds and grapevines. [5]

– Irene Scott, WSET-3, CSWS,
UC Davis Winemaking Certificate 2020
OCWS Wine Education Chair

Sources:

[1] Jackson, R.S., Wine Science: Principles and Applications, Fourth Edition, Academic Press 2014

[2] Missouri Wines: History and AVAs, 2018, https://missouriwine.org/about-us/history-and-avas

[3] Lukacs, P., American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine, W.W. Norton & Company LTD, 2000

[4] Wine Searcher: Norton Wine, 2015, https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-901-norton

[5] Wikipedia: History of Wine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wine

Slip in Virtually to the Fall OCWS Winery Webinars

As you may recall, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we had to cancel two excellent and highly anticipated events as part of our regular 2020 Winery Program. We will now be evolving into conducting the OCWS Winery Program virtually! We anticipate starting this program in the fall of this year. You will be able to view each seminar presentation using the Zoom virtual platform from the comfort of your own home. You will learn about each winery and the wines they produce. Members will have the option to purchase the wines. As our planning progresses, we will keep you updated.

– Leslie Hodowanec, Director
– Rich Skoczylas, Director & Winery Program Chair

In Memoriam: Dennis Esslinger

The OCWS has lost one of its most significant members, Dennis Esslinger, due to cancer and unrelated to the COVID pandemic. In 2017 during the Annual Business Meeting, Jim Beard, then President, awarded Dennis the highest award an OCWS President can bestow, the President Emeritus Award. Past President, Fran Gitsham, eloquently stated in 2017 that the President Emeritus title “denotes the perpetual status of an individual who has helped move the organization to new heights as a former key member on the Board of Directors. In this case, as President an unprecedented four terms (2000-01, 2002-03, 2008-09, 2013-14), with none of those terms consecutive . . . Dennis Esslinger joined the ranks of just a few who have garnered the President Emeritus title. He joins a small, elite group of past Presidents who not only gave their time and effort over a number of years, but continues to do so.”

As a recipient of the highest level year end awards, along with his wife Carol who worked with him side by side, Dennis passed away Monday, July 6, at his home.

Dennis was a longtime employee of Hughes Corporation, then Raytheon in Fullerton, working as a Project Manager until he retired. These skills served him well in various organizational and administrative capacities with the OCWS. He served on the Commercial Wine Competition Committee for well over 20 years working with others in developing the format for cataloging wines. He then took over as Chairman of the Competition and then Chairman of Judges for 10 years before turning that position over to Kevin Coy.

Dennis was very highly regarded by winemakers and winery owners which showed in the respect they have for the Commercial Wine Competition and their desire to appear for our winery tasting programs for which Dennis was in charge for a few years.

Dennis traveled the world with Carol and their children for many years in his position with Hughes. The traveling never stopped once he became active with the OCWS as he embarked upon a number of wine trips with friends to wineries, wine tastings at ZAP, and meeting with family winemakers as a member of the Commercial Wine Competition. He maintained a close circle of OCWS friends throughout the years who enjoyed his kindness, generosity, and reverence.

Raised in Kansas and a graduate of Kansas State, his work ethic and skills were valued in the OC Fair Courtyard where he and Carol put in many hours in preparing The Courtyard, setting up the wine cellar, maintaining, stewarding, managing and teaching about wine. His calm demeanor allowed him to deal with honesty and humor any time problems or disagreements arose in the OCWS or during the OC Fair. Dennis’ activities preparing for and working the Annual Wine Auction allowed this event to be our biggest single revenue producer outside The Courtyard during the OC Fair.

It would be impossible to say just how many accolades Dennis received from the OCWS, Judges, friends and co-workers. What he has contributed to the OCWS will be evident once the pandemic is under control and we return to normal activities with the OCWS.

We ask you to raise a glass of wine for Dennis and in support of Carol and the family who will need all our good thoughts and prayers.

Dennis, we will miss you terribly.

– Sam Puzzo

President’s Message

Greetings everyone! The OCWS has been busy continuing the work of our organization. Our office staff, Lynda Edwards and Rochelle Randel, have been working remotely to answer emails and provide support to our Board of Directors, Event Chairs and wineries. If you need assistance, please send an email to Office@ocws.org.

Working together, Charles English our bookkeeper, Mel Jay, Treasurer, and Dave Stancil, Finance Committee Chair have been paying our bills and monitoring our finances. Over the years, wise and prudent leadership in the organization allowed us to build up our reserves to weather these difficult times. I am pleased to report that as a result, we are in sound financial shape.

I have been working monthly with the OCFEC staff to schedule future events through 2021. We have been able to gain access to our office and cellar on a monthly basis to ensure that they are safe and secure. Like most of us individually, the OCFEC is waiting on guidance from state and local authorities that will allow activities to resume. As with businesses and wineries  throughout the state, everyone is eager to resume operations when it is safe to do so. This year the Annual Business Meeting will most likely need to be done “virtually.” We are in the process of working on the logistics and will provide more details as the meeting, scheduled for September 11, gets closer.

This summer, the OC Fair is Going Virtual!  The OCWS has been invited to be part of this virtual event and Sara Yeoman, Director, is working towards providing video content in July 2020. We are also working on a number of “virtual” events starting at the end of June for our membership. Please look for these events which will be posted on our website from the main menu Zoom Seminars.

It is once again time to invite our membership to become members of our Board of Directors. Please see Greg Hagadorn’s article and consider running for the Board this year. As the candidates declare, we will be posting their candidate statements on the OCWS website. Cheers,

 Bill Redding, President

Ideal Wine Serving Temperature Chart

STYLEEXAMPLETEMPERATURE
Med/Full Bodied Oaked White WineChardonnay, Fume BlancLightly Chilled 50o – 55o F
Light/Med Bodied White WineSauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Viognier, RoséChilled 45o – 50o F
Sweet WinesMuscat, White Zinfandel, Riesling (sweet), White Port, Late Harvest WhiteWell Chilled 43o – 45o F
Sparkling WinesSparkling Wine, Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, AstiWell Chilled 43o – 50o F
Light Bodied RedsPinot Noir, Lambrusco, Dolcetto, Dornfelder, GamayLightly Chilled 55o F
Med/Full Bodied RedsCabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Malbec, Petit Sirah, Mourvédre, NebbioloRoom Temperature 59o – 64o F

WINE EDUCATION 101: Summer Wines – Keeping it Light

Summer is finally here!  With summer comes sunshine, warm weather and most likely some poolside/patio wine drinking with friends.  So, what are some good choices for your summer wine drinking that will keep you cool and refreshed?  The key to great summer drinking wines is that they have a lighter body and a higher acidity.  These wines will be refreshing and delicious when served chilled.  Yes, even light-bodied red wines can be delicious when served slightly chilled.

When referring to a wine’s “body” it usually refers to a feel of “weight” in the mouth.  Imagine the different mouthfeel you would experience with water or non-fat milk, then 2% milk, and finally full-fat milk or cream.  This comparison will help you begin to understand what “body” means in wine.  Most varietal wines have a “body” that is typical for that grape varietal.  Wine components that increase a wine’s “body” or “fullness” include sweetness, glycerol, grape and yeast polysaccharides, and phenolic content (in red wine).  On the other hand, the perception of “fullness” can be decreased by acidity.

Acid is one of the main chemical constituents of grapes and gives wine “structure” and the ability to age well.  The main wine acids are the non-volatile organic acids such as tartaric and malic acid which constitute more than 90% of the grape’s acidity.  Malic acid is what you taste when you bite into a crisp apple.  Tartaric acid is that tart taste when you eat grapes (as it is the primary acid in grapes).  While acid can be tasted by taste buds all over your tongue, it is commonly strongest along the sides of the tongue and can often cause increased saliva production.  High acidity or astringency in wines is often balanced with a little sweetness (or perception of) – this is referred to as a “balanced wine”.

With grapes grown in warm or hot climates, the heat will metabolize malic acid such that little is left by harvest – giving wines a lower acidity in warmer climates.  However, cooler climate grapes will often retain more of their malic acid by harvest – giving grapes grown in cooler climates a higher acidity.  In addition, some grape varietals are naturally higher in acidity than other grape varietals. If a wine undergoes “malolactic fermentation”, the stronger malic acid is converted to a softer lactic acid.  Overall, it is the tartaric acid that ends up giving wine most of its taste of acidity.

Based on this understanding of body and acidity, we can choose some nice, refreshing summer wines.  A great guide to grape varietal acidity and body is the “De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table” (https://www.delongwine.com/products/wine-grape-varietal-table).  This table is a visual reference to various varietals and their body/acidity levels.  We can see on this chart that the Albariño, Aligoté, Colombard, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Torrontés, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho, Verdicchio, and Vermentino varietals all typically have a lighter body and high acidity.  Any of these would make a cool, refreshing summer white wine.

Want to drink a red wine on a hot day and still be refreshed?  Choose a red wine with a lighter body and higher acidity (avoid wines with heavy tannins), and serve it slightly chilled (about 55oF).  A Pinot Noir is a great example, along with, Barbera, Blaufrankisch, Dornfelder, Freisa, and Sangiovese.

Rosé wine is also an excellent choice for summer with its light body and crisp acidity.  Most Rosé wines have higher acidity as they do not undergo malolactic fermentation where the stronger malic acid is converted to weaker lactic acid.

Sparkling wine is also a great choice for your summer wine – and not just because the bubbles are so fun!  Grapes that are destined for sparkling wines will be picked earlier than other grapes (for still wines).  These grapes will often be picked when the Brix (sugar) level is 18o-21o so that they retain their tartness and acidity that is needed for sparkling wine.

To ensure that you have a wine that has retained a crisp, refreshing acidity, choose a wine from a cooler, fog-drenched region.  Cooler climate wines will retain more of the malic acid that might otherwise become degraded in the heat.  Some excellent cooler-climate wine regions in California include:  Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Monterey, Santa Barbara County and others.

I hope you enjoy a cool, refreshing wine at your next summer poolside party!

Irene Scott, WSET-3, CSWS
Winemaking Certificate, UC Davis
OCWS Wine Education Chair

President’s Message

Greetings on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff. We are in strange times during which we are postponing or deleting events from the calendar. For many of us, the months of June, July and August are normally filled with OCWS activities.

The Winemakers’ Group is purchasing supplies and working on some virtual seminars. With all of this extra time many of you may want to try making wine. Please see Kevin Donnelly’s article in this month’s newsletter.

During the month of May, the BOD has attempted to make contact by phone or email with our members. Of my own personal contacts, it seems that our members are safe and staying busy. Doing puzzles, reading, cooking, gardening, painting, virtual seminars and getting to projects that are long overdue are popular activities.

I am sure everyone has been trying to stay busy at home. I have actually found the time to review some old Wine Spectator issues and organized my office bookshelf. To my surprise, I have found several of my wine-related books that I have been looking for, and they are now keeping each other company. A few favorites that are in my collection: The Juice by Jay McInerney, Judgment of Paris by George M. Taber, Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein and Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack. All great reference books and of course the great story by Taber which formed the basis for the movie Bottle Shock. No doubt you have your own wine books and magazines to get re-acquainted with. If you are just looking for reading with a wine themed author, Ellen Crosby offers entertainment with her 10-book Wine Country Mystery series. Our Wine Press Editor and Board member, Linda Mihalik, also has a book and film title summarily related to a wine theme in this issue in her “In Case You Missed It” article plus some ideas to stay active at home.

The OCFEC is working on plans to hold virtual activities during the five week Fair run this year. The OCWS has been invited to work with them to provide several virtual events. Cheers,

Bill Redding, President