Wendy Taylor

Courtyard Transformed Into Tropical Paradise

Twice a year, the OCWS holds events for the membership of the Orange County Wine Society. This year, the spring event was held April 30 at The Courtyard on the OC Fairgrounds. The theme was “Jimmy Buffett Party”. Despite being a long way from Margaritaville, the 150+ members and guests came out to enjoy the beautiful afternoon, tremendous music and outstanding food.

The Cook’s Caucus prepared a sumptuous selection of delicious Cheeseburgers from Paradise, Parrot Legs, grilled pineapple, mango salsa, plantain chips, Caribbean-style beans and rice, quesadillas and Frito green salad. As if those island fares left any room for dessert, a delectable key lime sheet pie rounded out the platefuls. Aye, there was plenty to go around as many of the motley crew found themselves returning for additional helpings of the mouthwatering spread.

The Three 2 Sevens filled the afternoon with great music and lots of dance tunes and the dance floor was packed all afternoon. Despite refraining from donning coconut bras or grass skirts, the band serenaded their audience with Jimmy Buffett songs to keep with the theme of the party.

The wine servers were busy pouring California wines from the cellar. A margarita machine was rented to make strawberry Roseritas. The frozen concoctions were so delicious none of the 100 that were made had a chance of wasting away again in Margaritaville. Speaking of which, has anyone seen my lost shaker of salt?

As each guest entered The Courtyard, they were given a ticket for a chance to win a door prize. Three lucky people won a bottle of wine plus either a wine carrier or tropical “It’s 5:00 o’clock Somewhere” shirt.

Over $1,800 was raised for scholarships through the Wine Wall, run by Rochelle Randel, and via a silent auction and wine-related items donated by members Lynda Edwards, Jay and Betty Jo Newell, Richard Ward, Linda Flemins, Fran Gitsham, Glenn and Alice Polser and

items purchased by OCWS. The bidding was fierce but friendly and all lucky winners were delighted with their prizes.

The Courtyard was transformed into a tropical paradise worthy of Buffett himself. Some people claim there is a woman to blame but under the tremendous work of Betty Jo Newell, the individual table settings and centerpieces, hanging decorations and palm tree coolers for water and beer captured the perfect equatorial atmosphere. Additionally, many of the guests wore their brightest tropical shirts or parrots to fit the oceanic ambience.

Thank you to all the volunteers and attendees for making this party so much fun. As Jimmy Buffett says, “Life is a journey not measured in miles or years, but in experiences.” The afternoon spent with Jimmy as our inspiration was a truly enjoyable experience!

Alice Polser – Event Chair

May 26, 2023
By
Courtyard
No Comments

Bottles in the Birdhouse

Story & Photos by Greg Risling

Pay one visit to the home of Betty Jo and Jay Newell in Yorba Linda and you will know why they enjoy hosting mini-tastings, parties and other events.

They have a sprawling and inviting backyard made for outdoor gatherings that once was home to a stable of horses and even a sand volleyball court. But it’s the large structure in the corner of the backyard that houses one of the couple’s favorite spots.

Jay Newell (above) punches in the code to enter his cellar. (Right) The 800-square-foot cellar stores up to 800 bottles.

Known as the “Birdhouse,” – affectionately named after Jay found a weather vane that now sits affixed at the top of what looks like an oversized garage – the building serves several functions but none better than the wine cellar tucked away in the corner.

When Jay, a retired investigator with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, he knew putting in a wine cellar was a priority “in case things didn’t work out.”

He got right to work, designing their dream cellar and doing much of the work himself. He arched the ceiling in an expressive manner, coated the space tightly with insulation (the cellar sometimes doubles as a backup refrigerator) and had the wine racks specially designed.

“I really researched it,” Jay fondly recalls. “I wanted it to be easily accessible and easy enough where you don’t have to search for that certain bottle. It is bigger than what I planned.”

The result is an 850 square-foot showpiece that can store up to 800 bottles. The rows are all numbered 1 to 46 and he meticulously keeps a binder of his inventory and cataloging that gives him quick access to find the right wine to serve to guests or to bring to their favorite restaurant.

“If we feel like drinking a certain type of wine, we go right to the cellar and grab a bottle,” Betty Jo said. “We always take a bottle with us to a restaurant. There is enough variety in the cellar that makes the decision easy for us.”

Mind you, the cellar isn’t completely stocked. Jay estimates there are somewhere between 400 and 500 bottles on average, worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $20,000. The Newells most expensive bottle is a $400+ 2013 Daou Cabernet Sauvignon.

When the couple first joined OCWS about six years ago, they stuck to drinking Cabernet Sauvignon and other popular varietals. But that all changed once they got involved, attended OCWS events and met new friends. Now, any OCWS member who has the fortune to visit their home, will get an added bonus of marveling at their cellar.

“Joining the wine society expanded our appreciation of different varietals,” Betty Jo said. “We have a whole circle of friends who are society members thanks to joining.”

April 21, 2023
By
Featured Member
No Comments

President’s Message

Life is all about how you handle Plan B—this is what the coaster on my desk says and is a constant reminder to me that life has a way of totally screwing with my best intentions. I cannot recall a day in my life that went according to the way I had planned for it to go. Hence, you will hear me sigh and say just step back five yards and punt. But one thing I know for sure is that there are always reasons for changes (whether I understand them or not is another subject) and always solutions.

The workings within the OCWS are a perfect example of Plan Bs. In just the last year, we have weathered cancelled events, adverse weather conditions, illnesses, venue changes, ever-changing government-issued requirements, etc., etc., etc., and, in the long run, everything has worked out due to the ingenuity of our members and their willingness to go with the flow, step back those five yards and punt and enjoy what we are afforded. Namely, to be able to be a part of the love, camaraderie and fun.

This writing is really a THANK YOU message to all you adaptable OCWS volunteers, whether you are one of those die-hard people constantly spearheading events and acting as members of a committee, thereby working literally hundreds, if not thousands, of hours, and to those of you who are just able to help a few hours here and there. You are all what makes the OCWS run and without you we would not continue to be what we are. With our biggest volunteer events of the year, namely the wine competitions and the Courtyard at the OC Fair coming fast, THANK YOU in advance for your participation. Every hand, every hour counts!

—Fran Gitsham, President

April 21, 2023
By
President's Message
No Comments

Chef of the Evening

Tamara Reddy says she had some creme de cassis on hand she had brought home from a trip around the wine regions of France and wanted to use it in something chocolate and decadent for a recent OCWS mini-tasting.

She had never made this recipe before, but she was 100 percent confident in her Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. So she searched for a dessert using Cassis, found one, and made it with confidence.

“Ina is the best, I use her recipes extensively,” says Tamara, who along with husband Michael has been an Orange County Wine Society member for eight years. “To date, the recipes have won me a good number of bottles of wine at our Mini-Tasting events.”

Chocolate Cassis Cake

For the Cake:
Baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy
12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. crème de cassis liqueur
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For the Glaze:
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 Tbsp. crème de cassis liqueur
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

To Serve:
2 (½ pint) boxes fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup crème de cassis liqueur

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round springform pan with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray it again with baking spray.

MELT butter and chocolate together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

WHISK in the cocoa powder, cassis liqueur and vanilla; set aside.

IN THE BOWL of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), beat the eggs, sugar and salt on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until pale yellow and triple in volume.

POUR chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and carefully but thoroughly fold them together with a rubber spatula.

POUR batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until just barely set in the center. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then release the sides of the pan. Invert the cake carefully onto a flat serving plate, remove the parchment paper and cool completely.

FOR THE GLAZE, melt the chocolate and cream together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the cassis and vanilla.

COOL for 10 minutes and spread over just the top of the cake.

BEFORE SERVING (15 minutes), toss the berries gently with the sugar and cassis liqueur. Cut the cake in wedges and serve with the berries on the side.

Do you have something delicious to share? Please send your recipes to George Cravens at george@ocws.org for possible publication on the OCWS website.

April 21, 2023
By
Recipes
No Comments

Finding Frisby

When Josh Frisby decided he wanted to make wine commercially, his vision was simple: to bring his love of Central Coast wines – particularly those from Paso Robles – to […]
This post is only available to members.
March 22, 2023
By
Featured Wineries
No Comments

President’s Message

The Orange County Wine Society is known to the general OC Fair-going public for running the Courtyard at the OC Fair. Proceeds from the Courtyard, along with the annual Wine Auction, pay for running the wine competitions and sustaining the organization; however, this does not come from the OCWS alone.

The OCWS has a very important partnership with the Orange County Fair and Events Center (OCFEC) that affords us the opportunity to continue running the wine competitions and reaping the benefits. The Commercial and Home Wine competitions that we run each year are, in fact, owned by the OCFEC, not the OCWS.

It was a small group of home winemakers who not only began our organization 48 years ago but approached the OC Fair at the time with the thought of running wine competitions at the fair. Hence, with a single table and a handful of wines, the OC Fair wine competitions were born.

From that handful of wine-passionate people and one small table, the OCWS now runs one of the most prestigious commercial wine competitions in the country and the largest California wines-only competition in the world. The OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, which is held over an entire weekend, finds entries of upwards of 2,500-plus California commercial wines each year that are judged by a distinguished panel of 90 judges comprised of renowned California winemakers and winery principals. The competition, which is traditionally held on the first weekend of June each year, enlists more than 300 volunteers working hard to make each competition more successful than the one before.

The Winemakers’ Group of the OCWS, which is comprised of about 80 die-hard home winemakers, many of whom are award-winning winemakers in their own right, and a couple of hundred more supporters, run the OC Fair Home Wine Competition the weekend following the commercial competition. Over 100 of these individuals are trained home wine judges who judge 650-plus wines entered.

The two competitions culminate with the Courtyard at the OC Fair, where the OCWS has the pleasure of serving tastes of that year’s award-winning commercial wines to the general public throughout the 23 days of the fair, pouring wine by the glass and hosting a number of wine seminars in an effort to continue our organization’s mission of wine education. All of this is accomplished by hundreds of dedicated volunteers without whom this organization would not be what it is today. You, our members, are what sustain the OCWS by volunteering at our various events throughout the year and who continue to make this the amazing organization we are!

For more information about the upcoming competitions and the Courtyard, please visit our website at ocws.org.

—Fran Gitsham, President

March 22, 2023
By
President's Message
No Comments

OC Fair promises good times for all

The OC Fair has, once again, set the Orange County Wine Society up for fun all summer long (apologies to The Beach Boys)! The fair runs Friday, July 14, through Sunday, Aug. 13, with Monday and Tuesday dark. This year’s theme, “Happy Together,” fits not only the fair but the whole atmosphere of The Courtyard.

The Courtyard at the OC Fair is our major fundraiser for the entire year. Not only does it provide operating revenue for OCWS, it is the face of our organization to the fairgoers (more than 1 million in 2022)! The fair is also the source of many new OCWS members each year. When some attendees see how much fun the OCWS is, they join on the spot.

The Courtyard runs on volunteers and is a rewarding and fun opportunity. Rich Skoczylas is again coordinating the volunteer sign-ups. Invitations for managers, stewards and cashiers will be sent via email in April. Server sign-ups will open up the OCWS website May 1. Volunteers must sign-up for a minimum of four shifts. If you have not previously worked as a cashier or a steward and have previous experience working in The Courtyard and would like to cashier or steward, contact Rich at Rich@ocws.org. We will consider your experience for these positions. Leslie Hodowanec is the set-up/tear-down crew chair and will announce the dates as the fair opening approaches.

This summer, the fair is requiring everyone who works at The Courtyard to complete the Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training that the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) requires for alcoholic beverage service. This is an online training class followed by a test. Teri Lane is the coordinator for training and more information will follow with links to the class and ABC. The certification is valid for three years and everyone who completed the class last year is still good to go.

At this writing, it looks like The Courtyard will have a summer run much like last year. We are planning on serving varietal wines by the glass, tastes of the award-winning wines and having the Express Bar. The fun and popular Featured Winery Program hosted by Liz and Lloyd Corbett (that earned more than $15,000 in scholarship donations) will be back. The ever popular, often- sold-out wine seminars also will return.

Don’t forget the added benefits of working shifts over the four-week run. Your credentials will give you access to the fair any day it is open (even sold-out days) and your parking pass also is valid. The big pluses are the wine tickets that equate to two glasses of varietal wine or eight tastes of award winners per shift worked. You can pour the two glasses into a Govino glass and head to a show. The ocfair.com lists the concert events at both The Hangar and the Pacific Amphitheatre.

If you haven’t volunteered for The Courtyard in a while, consider returning this summer for some of that summer fun. If you are new to The Courtyard, come on down. Fran Gitsham and I are co-chairing The Courtyard this year and we will see you at the Orange County Fair!
—Fred Heinecke,
OCWS Director

March 22, 2023
By
Courtyard
No Comments