Category: Members Corner

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!

Spotlight on Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Allan Hancock College

By Damian J. Christian

OCWS funds scholarships for eight California colleges and universities, including Allan Hancock College (AHC) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (SLO). AHC offers multiple degrees and certificates in viticulture, enology, wine and food pairing, and wine business. The AHC viticulture & enology programs typically has over 100 majors per year and has a four-acre “practice” vineyard next to the college and additional vineyards in Los Alamos. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has one of the largest enology and viticulture programs in the country and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wine making and viticulture. Cal Poly-SLO will accept 77 new students this fall in these programs. 

In May, I had the good fortune to attend the 2025 Scholarship Awards Ceremony at AHC. The OCWS scholarship has been distributed to one student with several others under consideration.

We met the current recipient, Mark Gabriele, who is a returning student very interested in making wine for this third career. He purchased a five-acre vineyard in the Cayucos Valley and recently added Syrah grapevines. He is attending AHC to learn how to care for his vineyard and make his own wine.

Recently, AHC Winery won a gold medal in the 2025 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition for its 2023 Pinot Noir (90 points).

Also in May of this year, I visited Cal Poly-SLO for a reception and lunch with their enthusiastic scholarship recipients. The university awarded the OCWS scholarships to five students (listed below).   

• Stella Dowd (not pictured)
• Phoebe Dueltgen
• Elizabeth Hastert
• Stella Tarantino
• Evelyn Tostado

Cal Poly-SLO has several dedicated wine making facilities. They have a 14-acre campus vineyard and as of 2019 have the Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture. These include a 15,600 sq. foot-winery and space for grape crushing, fermentation, bottling and classrooms and teaching labs for the enology and viticulture courses. Students are given hands-on experience in all aspects of the wine industry. 

Cal Poly SLO submitted several wines to the 2025 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition and received gold medals for their 2022 Pinot Noir (92 points) and 2023 Chardonnay (90 points) and silver medals for three other wines.

Next month we will be highlighting another one of the colleges/universities supported by the OCWS Scholarship Fund. Just a friendly reminder there is always time to donate to the OCWS Scholarship Fund for 2025. There are two ways to donate:

1. 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. A donation letter will be sent to you.
2. Donate Online – Logon to your account at ocws.org and go to the scholarship donation page: OCWS.org/product/scholarship-donations/.   

You can make your donation online and print a receipt for tax purposes at the same time.

Had it not been for a small band of like-minded, wine-loving people, the Orange County Wine Society would not be hosting the 49^th annual OC Fair competitions today.  In 1976, 16 people, out of their love of wine and interest in winemaking, began meeting the first Friday of each month in the back room of Brant’s Wine Rack, a wine and beer supply shop in Orange, where the store’s owner advised the group on winemaking. Soon, with friends wanting to sample the wines, the wine drinkers began to outnumber the winemakers. From there, the Orange County Wine Society was born and the dream of wine competitions became a reality.

Jerry Mead, who went on to become a renowned wine writer and Brant Horton helped establish the first commercial wine competition. The OC Fair wholeheartedly embraced the idea and provided the OCWS with a 10’ table during the then-one week run of the fair.

The Commercial Wine Competition had a whopping 83 individual wines entered comprised of three varietals which, to the best of our knowledge, were mostly Chenin Blanc and Gamay Beaujolais, with the third varietal still a now long-forgotten mystery to this day.

No one could have imagined that the creation of a small wine competition would evolve into the largest California-only wine competition in the world today, with over 90 winery principals and professional winemakers blind judging over 2,600 wines a year.

The competition has been comprised of more than 176 varietals, the number of which continues to increase year after year, with 14 new ones added already just this year alone.

One can only imagine what the founding members of the OCWS would think of the evolution of the organization and competitions to this day and think of what their amazement and pride in the reality of their visions almost 50 years ago would now be, all for the love of wine!

–Fran Gitsham, OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition Chair

By Carolyn Christian

One of the greatest parts of leading this organization is working with so many individuals who are passionate about wine and about our organization. Like me, they have a long tradition of being fascinated by wine and choosing to donate their time. My introduction to OCWS was perhaps not the most typical path.  At 16 years old, I worked my first summer job at the OC Fair selling programs in the parking lot.  I had never heard of the OCWS and had no idea that Orange County was such a large wine consumer market.  When I attended Cal State Fresno, I had my first formal introduction to enology, and unbeknownst to me, my friends in the enology program received scholarships from OCWS.  It was 1984 and the fourth year of the OCWS Scholarship Program. When I returned to Orange County, I visited the OC Fair and was thrilled to learn of the existence of OCWS and the opportunity to continue my wine education. At only 21 years old, I was the youngest member at that time.

                Over the years, I have seen so many changes in the wine industry – from the exponential increase of small family-owned and boutique wineries, to the development of large corporate wine portfolios.  And today, micro-wineries and limited production wineries appear to be all the rage. OCWS has grown too; when I first joined, the organization had a few hundred members. Since the 1990s, we have remained steady at several times that amount. For more details on the growth of OCWS, I refer you to Linda Flemin’s history of the OCWS Membership in this issue. 

                OCWS has expanded not only with its membership, but with its activities as well. Our flagship event, the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, has grown from a few varietals in the 1970s to over 100 varietal categories today, with each year bringing us new and unusual varietals. Fran Gitsham currently leads the competition committee which relies on hundreds of volunteers for over nine months of the year. It appears that this year will see an increase in wine entries.  You can learn more about the trajectory of the commercial competition in Fran’s article in this issue.

                A look at OCWS would not be complete without mention of the Winemakers’ Group, which started the organization back in 1976. Today there are over 240 enthusiastic home winemakers in the group, with more being mentored each year. As hosts of the OC Fair Home Wine Competition, the Winemakers’ Group is also poised to beat last year’s entry numbers.

                What we do as an organization would not be possible without our incredible partnership with the OC Fair. We are truly honored to be entrusted with the organizing of both competitions on behalf of the fair. And we are grateful to call the OC Fair and Event Center our home.

If you have not already worked at our famous Wine Courtyard during the OC Fair, I hope you have signed up this year. Working at the fair is a great experience that shouldn’t be missed! It is a great way to share your wine knowledge with the public and taste one of the new varietals entered into the competition.

                As we approach our golden 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 2 tickets to a Winery Program of their choice in 2026.  Please submit your print-ready design to history@ocws.org by August 18.  Both a color and black and white version are appreciated.  The winner will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting on September 12.

                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

                If you had told my 16 year old self that I would be back working at the OC Fair over four decades later as the president of this amazing organization of volunteers who come together in the name of wine and education, I would have thought you were crazy.  But here we are in one of the largest wine markets in the nation, promoting wine enthusiasm and supporting the educational institutions that will produce the next generation of winemakers.  What an incredibly lucky path I have traveled to get here, and I thank all of you for this remarkable opportunity. Cheers to you all!

The 49^th annual OC Fair Home Wine Competition will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. This is one of the largest home wine competitions in California.

Organized and sponsored by the OCWS Winemakers Group, it is run entirely by volunteers from the OCWS. We need your help to make it a success.

The competition is a one-day event and runs from 7:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m. All volunteers will be treated to a hot breakfast and lunch, courtesy of the OCWS Cooks Caucus. You will also get the opportunity to taste many of the award-winning wines after the judging is complete. If you’ve never tasted homemade wines, you may be surprised at the quality and craftmanship of the award winners.

Volunteer positions include registration, stewards, data entry/scoring, food service, glass washing, and cleanup. There will be a brief orientation before the competition begins to familiarize everyone with their positions. No experience is needed and new volunteers will be paired with competition veterans.  It’s a fun day and a great way to meet and mingle with your fellow OCWS members. Sign up today using the volunteer form on the OCWS website.

For questions about volunteering contact volunteer coordinator Cheryl Knapp at cknapp@jps.net.
For questions about the event contact Event Chairman, Kevin Donnelly, kevindonnelly@OCWS.org.

Cheers,

Ed Reyes
ed@ocws.org

Volunteer Opportunity

After more than two decades of dedicated service as the official OCWS Photographer, Jim Burk has decided to retire from his role behind the lens. Jim has done an outstanding job documenting our events and members over the years, leaving us with a rich visual legacy. We are incredibly grateful for his commitment and are pleased to share that he has graciously offered to mentor his successor once identified.

Now, we’re looking for our next OCWS Photographer!

If you have photography experience and are interested in capturing the vibrant spirit of our events, we’d love to speak with you. This volunteer position plays a key role in preserving the memories and milestones of the OCWS.

Responsibilities:

• Photograph OCWS events throughout the year
• Serve as Chair of the Photography Committee
• Help select the monthly Photo Contest winner
• Edit and deliver 20–30 top images per event to the Marketing Committee for Facebook and promotional use
• Maintain organized electronic archives of all event photos
• Take the annual panoramic photograph of the judges at the Commercial Wine Competition

Event Attendance & Benefits:

Complimentary Admission for Photographer +1 at:

• Spring and Fall Membership Events
• Winery Programs
• Wine Auction
• Judges’ Dinner (Commercial Wine Competition)

Optional Attendance (Ticket Purchase Required):

• Champagne Brunch
• Dine with Wine
• Installation Dinner
• Holiday Dinner Dance
• Mini-Tastings
• Winemakers’ Group Events
• Other events not listed above

If the primary photographer is unavailable for a comped event, a Photography Committee member may attend and shoot in their place.

We recognize that this role may be too much for one person alone, so we welcome those interested in covering specific events or sharing responsibilities.

Interested?

Please reach out to Carolyn Christian at carolyn@OCWS.org by June 30 to express your interest or to learn more.

Let’s raise a glass to Jim and find the next great visual storyteller for the OCWS!