Category: Members Corner

By Carolyn Christian

OCWS is a truly unique nonprofit volunteer organization that works like a well-oiled machine operating events throughout the year like the OC Fair Commercial and Home Wine Competitions, the Courtyard at the OC Fair, the Wine Auction, and a host of dozens of wine events and celebrations that focus on wine education and fundraising. The organization was started in 1976 by home winemakers who partnered with the OC Fair to start the wine competitions that we know today and develop wine education for the public at the OC Fair. But the greatest expansion of the OCWS educational mission came in 1981 with the start of the OCWS Scholarship Program.

California Wineries That Entered The Competition

Without the amazing wineries that participate in the competition, we would not be the organization that we are today. During these tough times for the wine industry, we ask that you support the wineries that enter their wines. Interact with them on our social media platforms by reacting to our posts and their posts, search for your next wine purchase on our interactive website – WineCompetition.com – and plan your next vacation to one of the many amazing wine regions right here in California. If you aren’t already following us on Facebook or Instagram, make sure you connect with us soon – @ocwinesociety.

OCWS Photographer

I am pleased to announce that Sue England has agreed to take on the position of OCWS photographer. Given the many hours dedicated by Jim Burk to this role over several decades, we have made the decision to move from a single photographer to a photography committee to handle all the jobs covered by Jim in the past. Sue will be chairing that committee and working with several photographers to cover all the OCWS events throughout the year.  Many thanks to Jim Burk for his years of commitment to the organization, and thank you to Sue for stepping up for this role.

50^th Anniversary Logo Contest and Memory Sharing

As we approach our 50^th Anniversary in 2026, I would like to announce the 50th Anniversary Logo Design Contest for OCWS. Every five years, we celebrate a milestone, and this one is no exception. The winner will receive two tickets to a Winery Program of their choice in 2026.  Please submit your print-ready design to history@OCWS.org by Aug. 18. Both a color and black-and-white version are appreciated. The winner will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting on Sept. 5.

                In preparation for our big anniversary in 2026, I also invite you to share your memories of the organization and your ideas on events and souvenirs to help us commemorate this major milestone. Use this link to share your ideas: OCWS.ws/50th.

Annual Business Meeting

The Annual Business Meeting will be held on Sept. 5 via Zoom. The OCWS board has found that this format works well for this annual review of the organization’s finances and activities. 

Election Time

We have an election for board members coming up this fall. I encourage those of you who have ever considered getting more involved to throw your hat in the ring. Serving on the board does require a time commitment but it is a very rewarding experience to be part of the leadership of this organization. Greg Hagadorn’s article in this issue will provide more details on the process. Candidates will be able to present their qualifications to OCWS members at the Annual Business Meeting on Sept. 5.

Thank you all!

We are so fortunate to have over 1,000 members who help us run this organization, and I am truly honored to serve OCWS president. Please join me in thanking all the volunteers who make this organization what it is today. I hope to see you in August at the OC Fair so we can raise a glass of wine and toast this amazing organization!  Cheers to you all!

Scholarship Fund

In 1981, OCWS donated scholarship funds to two California institutions: UC Davis and California State University Fresno.  Both locations ran enology and viticulture programs.  The organization donated $1,000 to each university for the first few years, increasing to $1,500 and then to $2,000 each by 1986.  In 1987, OCWS conducted a “Guess the Number of Corks” in a 5-gallon carboy and netted $350 for the scholarship fund.

In the early 1990s, OCWS added Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, and Orange Coast College to its scholarship recipient list, supporting wine marketing, enology and viticulture at SLO, hospitality at Pomona, and culinary arts at OCC.  The Los Angeles Culinary Arts Institute received scholarship funds in 1992 and was then removed from the scholarship program the following year.  Allan Hancock College was added in 1999; Napa Valley College was added in 2005, and California State University Sonoma was added in early 2000s.

Funds for the OCWS Scholarship Program come from a variety of sources, including special auctions at the Spring and Fall Socials, the Featured Winery Program at the OC Fair, donations from members throughout the year, and donations from the public during the OC Fair.  Most recently, members have been recycling cans and bottles and donating proceeds to our scholarship program. In addition, at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, judges are invited to donate their honorarium to the scholarship program, which is then given in rotation to a different school each year.  Over the years, we have also had special memorial scholarships including the Marino Family Scholarship Fund and the Chris Cunningham Endowment Scholarship Fund.

The amount donated each year in scholarships has increased from $2,000 in the first year of the program to $49,507 this year. Funds have generally increased from year to year except for a few years, most notably 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic when there were no funds brought in by the OC Fair or Wine Auction. With our current total donations reaching over $940,000, we plan to reach the $1 million mark next year for our 50^th Anniversary.  We hope you will donate to the program through one of the many methods we have available.

Donate Today Online Or mail a check – Make your check out to OCWS and mail it to the OCWS office at

OCWS
P.O. Box 11059 Costa Mesa, CA
92627 Attn: Scholarship Fund

Either way, a donation letter will be sent to you.

During our most recent Mini Tasting, our panel of experts concluded by a wide margin that Inland wineries were preferred over Coastal wineries. Summarizing the points in the table below, Coastal wines scored a total of 216 points across the seven sites; conversely, the Inland wines scored 363 points.

Of course, the wines themselves are really the deciding factor in this comparison, as is the lose definition of Coastal versus Inland. It is easy to distinguish between Lodi (inland) versus Paso Robles, but is Paso more coastal compared to Napa, which is regarded inland? Someone here is seriously challenged with geography!

What is absolutely clear is the Beckman Cabernet was the highest scored wine followed by the Klinker Brick Zinfandel, both inland wines. Also noteworthy is the strong preference for the Zins and Cabernets over the Merlots, Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. I think the one thing we can conclude is that people like what they like, and basis the turnout of this sold-out event, they like the Mini Tasting.

Our Gold Medal Event is scheduled for Sept. 6 and sign-ups are available now. This is our most popular event, so sign up early to increase your chances for your preferred location.

Tamara Reddy, a winning chef at the June 28 Mini-Tasting, has every Ina Garten cookbook. So when it’s time to whip up a dish for a potuck, Ina is her go-to source.

“Her recipes are always a bit decadent, and I very much enjoy making them for the OCWS Mini-Tastings, where the food items brought by my fellow members are always so wonderful,” Tamara says. “Ina helps me rise to the level of my fellow attendees.”

Tamara advises anyone taking on this dish to hand grate the carrots.

“Don’t be tempted to use a food processor as it creates too much liquid for this already very moist cake to handle,” Tamara says.

Carrot Cake with Crystalized Ginger Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients

CAKE:

2 cups sugar

1⅓ cups vegetable oil

3 extra-large eggs, at room

   temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose

   flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1½ tsps. kosher salt

1 lb. carrots, grated

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Ginger Mascarpone Frosting

   (recipe follows)

Crystallized ginger (not in syrup),

   chopped, for garnish

FROSTING:

12 oz. Italian mascarpone cheese,

   at room temperature

4 oz. cream cheese, at room

   temperature

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbsp. heavy cream

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/8 cup minced crystallized ginger

   (not in syrup)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Cake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees then grease two (9 x 2 inches) round cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and grease and flour the pans.

Beat the sugar, oil and eggs on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened.

STIR in the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.

Toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts and 1 Tbsp. of flour in a medium bowl. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 35

minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a baking rack and cool completely.

Frosting:

Beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cream and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy.

ADD the crystallized ginger and salt and beat for 30 seconds more.

Place one cake on a flat serving plate, rounded side down. Spread half the frosting on the top (not the sides). Place the second cake on top of the first cake, rounded side up.

Frost just the top of the second cake. Sprinkle with the ginger and serve at room temperature.

If you are innovative, open-minded, possess good interpersonal skills, are results oriented and a problem solver, then a position as an OCWS director 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 in September.

The overall time commitment varies based on assignments and participation. We are moving from having the Board manage some events to having our members run event with
a board coordinator being the liaison 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
Ability and time to organize events during the year
Selected event, budget management skills
Be a member in good standing

Candidates must present their Declaration of Candidacy in writing, by mail or via electronic media to the Election Chair
no later than 14 calendar days prior to the scheduled Annual Business Meeting. The last date to declare candidacy for this
year’s election is Friday, Aug. 22.

During the Annual Business Meeting, candidates can speak to the membership and present their qualifications. A
written Statement of Qualifications must be presented to the Election Committee no later than five calendar days after the
Declaration of Candidacy is submitted.

For more information, contact Greg
Hagadorn at (714) 388-8803 or Greg@
OCWS.org.

Wine seminars are a big part of The Courtyard experience at the OC Fair. They help fulfill the OCWS mission of wine education.

According to Larry Graham, OCWS historian and longtime chairman of The Courtyard, the first seminars were started in 2000. Early seminars were pretty basic then. Most focused on a single varietal such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, or on a style of wine such as Rhone. Some were simply about red or white wines.

Then around 2002, Graham, then-OCWS president, asked member, Carol Frank, to conduct a food and wine pairing seminar at the fair. She changed it to “Cheese and Wine Pairing” as she thought people could relate better to that. She still gives that seminar, one of the longest-running seminars in the lineup.

Another longtime seminar in the mix is “Gold Medal Award-Winning Wines.” Seminar presenter Bill Redding says the seminar showcases outstanding wines from California wineries from this year’s Commercial Wine Competition. Redding was asked to give the seminar when he was Cellarmaster. It was originally created and given by legendary OCWS member Chris Cunningham when he was Courtyard Chairman.

Drawing from the interest in pairing food and wine, many current seminars prominently feature unique foods. “Snack Foods and Wine Pairing”, created by Ken Knapp, is a newer seminar inspired by that trend. So is Carolyn Christian’s “BBQ and Wine Pairing.” 

“People talk about what foods to pair with different wines, but sometimes they forget that the sauce also plays an important role in the pairing,” she said.

Some seminars were inspired by out-of-the-box ideas from OCWS members or unlikely events. Seminar presenter Ed Reyes says that while working at the fair about 15 years ago, “several of us served guests who happened to have fair food while tasting at the awards bar. We started asking each other, what would you pair with such and such? We made a list of 20-25 pairings and tried a few of them during the fair.” Thus, “Fair Food and Wine Pairing” was born.

“Grapes and Grains” was originally an OCWS Zoom webinar, presented during COVID by Sara Yeoman. It was inspired by her knowledge of beer, gleaned while working in the food service industry. People have heard of pairing wine and food, she says. You can also pair beer with food. This seminar pairs wine with food then beer with the same food.

“Sparkling and Sweets” is another seminar that came to life during the pandemic. It was originally a holiday-themed webinar inspired by presenter Fran Gitsham’s love of Champagne and sparkling beverages. That webinar was also the inspiration for “Is it Sparkling or Champagne?” in which a variety of foods are paired with a variety of bubblies.

Whatever the origin, fair seminars today have evolved to incorporate the “over the top” aspect of the fair experience. Sara Yeoman, seminar committee chair, said the events should be fun. 

“People come to the fair to be entertained,” Yeoman said. “We want the seminars to be an extension of that experience.”

A former college instructor, Carolyn Christian says the seminars provide a learning opportunity that stays in people’s minds. 

“The best learning occurs when people have an opportunity to experience (what) they’re being taught,” Carolyn said.

Seminars have also evolved as the public’s knowledge of wine has grown. Seminars like “New and Unusual Wine Varietals” “Italian Varietals” “Summer White Wines” or “California Wine Regions” offer the chance to explore wines or wine regions that people might not have known about or were unwilling to try a few years ago.

Beyond the educational aspect, seminars are geared to showcase the partnership between the OCWS and other fair vendors. Much of the seminar food as well as the beer for “Grapes and Grains” is donated by fair vendors. To reciprocate, these vendors are promoted during the seminars and with signage in The Courtyard. Seminars have also helped strengthened the ties between the OCWS and the OC Fair. In recent years, the fair has promoted the seminars on their website and has included them in their weekly “fair events” calendar.

Featured wineries are involved in seminars too. All 3 p.m. seminars will feature a wine donated by that day’s featured winery. Representatives from the winery are also invited to speak at the seminar and seminar participants are encouraged to visit them after the seminar. Of course, seminars have always been a great way to attract new OCWS members.

This year, OCWS members will present 16 seminars which weave fun and memorable experiences with wine education. Wine seminars will be held in The Courtyard on Saturdays and Sundays at 1p.m. and 3 p.m. beginning the second weekend of the fair. All seminars are $30 and include food or an assortment of snacks. All include 8 to 9, one-ounce wine or beer tastes.

Seminar tickets are only available The Courtyard. Tickets for all seminars go on sale the first day of the fair. Many sell out quickly so get yours right away.

This year, make the wine seminars part of your courtyard experience at the OC Fair.

By Carolyn Christian

July is a significant month for OCWS. We begin the process of transforming The Courtyard at the OC Fair into the OCWS oasis for fairgoers to experience California wines – by the taste, by the glass, and in the context of learning experiences like the wine seminars. It is the climax of our major events for the year and our main member recruitment mechanism. On the heels of the OC Fair Commercial and Home Wine Competitions, our organization prepares for the public presentation of months of preparation. It is part of our wine journey that makes us who we are.

Courtyard at the OC Fair

                If you are not signed up to work at the OC Fair, I invite you to attend the fair and support the OCWS efforts as a customer, enjoying the wines we serve and supporting the organization’s scholarship fund. Invite your friends and family, sign up for wine seminars, and support the Featured Winery Program.

                If you are signed up to work The Courtyard this year, I thank you in advance, for you are the lifeblood of this organization. Without volunteers covering the hundreds of shifts at our booth, we would not be the organization that we are today. You make the public face of our organization a welcoming beacon.

Supporting Wineries

                In addition to The Courtyard, there are other ways to help support OCWS. With the results of the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition now available, I encourage you to support the wineries who entered their wines. Our results website, WineCompetition.com allows you to search by varietal, wine region, winery, award level and more. Choosing one of these wines for your next purchase further cements our role in providing much-needed income, particularly for the many boutique and limited-production wineries that enter our competition. Use our website to help you determine which wineries you wish to visit on your next trip to wine country. Make sure you congratulate wineries on their OC Fair medals during your visit. You can even share the WineCompetition.com website with friends and family who ask you for wine recommendations!

                For those with enjoy spending time on “the socials,” please take a moment to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn – @ocwinesociety. Like our posts and make positive comments on the winery posts from our competition entrants. They have much to celebrate with their awards. Your interaction means more people will take note of the amazing award-winning wines that are entered into our competition each year. More exposure of wineries means more entrants next year. While other wine competitions are struggling during the wine market downturn, we have remained stable this year, thanks to the great support of our members.

Thank Yous

There are so many people I wish to thank and too many to list here. From those in leadership positions, to committee volunteers, to event volunteers… you are all an integral part of this organization. Please take a moment to read the wrap-up articles on our events in this newsletter and join me in thanking everyone who helped make our events a success throughout the year.

Election Time
We have an election for board members this fall. I encourage those of you who have ever considered getting more involved to throw your hat in the ring. Serving on the board does require a time commitment, but it is a very
rewarding experience to be part of the leadership of this organization. Greg Hagadorn’s article in this issue will
provide more details on the process.

We are so fortunate to have over 1,000 members who help us run so many successful wine events. I am proud of our members and their contributions to the organization, whether large or small. It all makes a difference. As we approach our 50th anniversary next year, we have much
to be thankful for, as we continue on our individual and collective wine journeys. Cheers to you all!