Category: Members Corner

Join fellow OCWS members for a three-day trip when they will sample wines, experience original dining experiences
and more Nov. 8-10.

Have you ever wanted a slice of Sideways? Are you a fan of Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills? Do you enjoy the quaint charm of Solvang, Buellton or Los Olivos?

If any of that sounds fun, come November it can be yours. The Orange County Wine Society is inviting members to uncork a new adventure in the Santa Ynez Valley that will feature discounts and other benefits at select wineries using a special passport being created for the trip.

A committee has spent the last few months creating a top-flight itinerary that will include:

• Two-night stay at Hotel Hygge
• Santa Maria BBQ buffet with wine at The Hitching Post
• Three-course, wine-paired dinner at The Inn at Zaca Creek
• Discounts at wineries such as Liquid Farm, Future Perfect, Story of Soil, Lucas & Lewellen and more!

We have reserved all 20 rooms at Hotel Hygge for the trip. If all the rooms are booked, we will likely be able to get 10 or more additional rooms at the nearby Sideways Inn but the price will be higher.

The tentative plan is as follows:

Sunday, Nov. 8: Arrive in Santa Ynez Valley. Afternoon wine tasting (TBD as a group or on your own). 5-8 p.m. Dinner at Hitching Post, featuring owners Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley, who will be pouring a selection of their wines.

Monday, Nov. 9: Wine tasting in Los Olivos. A list of wineries in the passport will be provided. Tasting reservations must be made on your own and are not covered in the trip price. 5-9 p.m. wine-paired dinner featuring Foxen Winery at Inn at Zaca Creek.

Tuesday, Nov. 10: Checkout or tack-on tastings at wineries (TBD).

Breakfast is not provided in the cost of the trip. We are currently working on getting discounts at restaurants that provide lunch and updates will be provided to those who sign up for the trip.

Signups will begin at OCWS.org on August 15 and members are encouraged to act early as spots are expected to fill quickly.

The cost for the hotel and two dinners (wine included) is $700 per couple and $425 if you are going solo. The registration deadline is Sept. 24 and the drop-dead date for refunds is Sept. 27. No refunds will be given after Sept. 27.

There also will be a waitlist during signups for those wanting to go and can either replace someone who can no longer go or additional rooms become available. (no splitting costs of hotel or restaurants).

The passport will be valid Nov. 8-12.

There will be more details to come and if there are any questions, please reach out to Greg Risling at editor@OCWS.org.

By Fred Heinecke

It is with a heavy heart that I write this column as I have just learned we lost a decades-long member of the Orange County Wine Society: John Goodnight. He was a past president of OCWS (1987-1989, 1999-2000), recipient of the President’s Award (2002) and long-time volunteer.

John helped get The Wine Press started and most recently, John served as a Best of Show judge at the 2026 OC Fair Home Wine Competition. Our thoughts go out to Jane Goodnight. John was a great friend and great poker player.

The 2026 election for the OCWS Board of Directors is scheduled to take place after the September 11 annual business meeting. Prospective candidates must submit their declaration of candidacy to Greg Hagadorn no later than August 28.

Past President Carolyn Christian and I have completed our maximum two consecutive terms and cannot run for re-election. I urge dedicated OCWS members who have the time and interest to seek election to the board. For me, serving on the board has been a great honor and a truly rewarding experience. It is an opportunity to have a hand in the operation of an outstanding 501(c)3 organization.

The Orange County Fair is now in full swing after the July 17 opening. Leslie Hodowanec’s set-up crew was able to get everything in place for opening day despite delays and hiccups from the sign shop. Carolyn Christian put together a fantastic theme for the 2026 Courtyard with a look back over the five fabulous decades of the OCWS. Be sure to check out the OCWS history.

The fair has another 16 days to run, so if you haven’t had a chance to see The Courtyard and taste some of the award-winning wines from the Commercial Competition it is not too late.

Rich Skoczylas and Sue England have been working on The Courtyard schedule and put out the SOS (Save Our Shifts) alerts. There still may be a few opportunities to add some shifts, so watch for emails.

I hope you got to see Director CL Keedy on July 14 on the ABC7 morning news. He talked about our organization, the Commercial Competition, scholarships and The Courtyard.

See you at the fair.

OCWS Board of Directors

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Summer, the fair and time to think about running for the OCWS Board of Directors.

Please note that the earlier you declare, if you’re working at the OC Fair, you can campaign with your friends and fellow members. You can hear and listen to the issues that other members have and are concerned about.

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 board director 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 in September.

The overall time commitment for a board member 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 14 calendar days prior to the scheduled Annual Business Meeting.

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 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 at (714) 388-8803 or Greg@OCWS.org.

Greg Hagadorn, Election Chair

January, February, March and April on the third working Friday of the month, come and hear from the winemakers that won Double Gold, Gold and Silver awards at the OCWS Commercial Wine Competition.

Wine, Summer a Perfect Pairing

August is the season for the OC Fair, backyard gatherings, beach days, and warm evenings spent with friends and family. Whether you’re enjoying a glass of wine while taking in the sights and sounds of the fair, relaxing after a day at the beach, hosting a barbecue or watching the sunset from your backyard, there are so many wonderful ways to enjoy the final days of summer.

For this month’s photo contest, we want to see your favorite August wine moments! Share the fun and snap a photo and send it our way—we can’t wait to see how you’re celebrating the season!

Each month, the OCWS Photography Committee selects a Photo of the Month to be featured in the OCWS newsletter and showcased on our website. The winner will also receive a special bottle from the OCWS cellar!

THEME: Savor the Flavors of Summer

SUBMIT TO: Photo@OCWS.org

RULES: OCWS.org, News, Photos

Here’s to the good times we share!

Feel free to capture and share some fun, candid moments from an event—we’d love to experience it through your eyes! These photos are separate from the Photo of the Month Contest (no prizes involved), but they may be featured in our marketing materials or on social media. It’s a wonderful way to share your perspective and highlight the spirit of the OCWS community.

REMINDERS:

• By submitting, you grant OCWS rights to use your photos for marketing.

• Only submit photos that are your own.

• Send your shots to photo@OCWS.org

Let’s raise a glass to the good times we share.

A special thank you!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Leslie Hodowanec, Hank Bruce, Arnie Gamboa, and Don Phillips, the Photo Committee, and photographers for their dedication, support and incredible photos. Your contributions are truly appreciated. Thank you so much –

Sue England, Photo Committee Chair

By Greg Risling

Every summer, the Orange County Wine Society does what it has always done best: invites fairgoers to try a wide selection of wine at The Courtyard.

This year’s edition resonates a little more as OCWS celebrates its 50^th anniversary. Over those past five decades, the organization has welcomed wine enthusiasts who believe that great wine is not merely a luxury but a language. No setting has given that language a louder, more joyful stage than The Courtyard at the Orange County Fair — a beloved annual tradition that the OCWS has proudly hosted, curated, and championed.

There’s a little something for everyone interested in a wine experience at The Courtyard. Whether it’s sampling an award-winning vintage from the most recent OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, trying  different varietals from a visiting winery via the Featured Winery Program or attending a volunteer-run seminar about how wine interacts with different dishes, the monthlong fair run is a good time for anyone to enjoy an array of wines from across California all in one place.

That goes the same for the dozens of OCWS volunteers who graciously give their time and effort to make The Courtyard hum morning, noon and night. For those who are volunteering for the first time, there are plenty of grizzled veterans who will make the shift much easier and enjoyable. And for everyone’s hard work, those highly prized drink tickets which gets members a full pour, split or tasting of award-winning wines is well worth the work.

The numbers, by now, are staggering. Thousands of bottles poured. Tens of thousands of fairgoers introduced, perhaps for the very first time, to the idea that wine is not intimidating but inviting.

Ask any of the volunteers who work the fair and they will tell you the same thing – OCWS isn’t just an organization, it’s a community. Sure, there’s good wine to be shared, but it’s also about educating the public and enjoying one another’s company that makes volunteering at the fair such a rewarding experience.

Your adventure awaits, so come on down to the fair, have a glass and make some memories.

By Fred Heinecke

There’s only 17 days until the Orange County Fair begins and the 50th annual Courtyard at the OC Fair is the event everyone is anticipating.

The cellar has been stocked to the top. Signups began weeks ago and all the volunteers have marked their calendars, checked their RBS status and planned for a summer of wine and fun. This year, “Your Adventure Awaits,” begins Friday July 17 and runs through Sunday, August 16, with Mondays and Tuesdays dark.

Schedulers Rich Skoczylas and Sue England have been hard at work to get all the volunteers their five required shifts. During the second week of July, Leslie Hodowanec and the set-up crew will transform the currently plain walls into The Courtyard, that familiar wine bar the fairgoers love to see.

The Courtyard continues to be the largest fundraiser of the year for the Orange County Wine Society. The Featured Winery Program (put together by Liz and Lloyd Corbett) is the single largest fundraiser for the OCWS Scholarship Fund. This year’s lineup is again fantastic with many medal-winning wines. Be sure to stop by and have a taste.

The very popular Saturday and Sunday Wine Seminars (coordinated by Sara Yeoman and Ed Reyes) are set to begin on July 25 and run through August 16. Tickets will be available when the fair opens at The Courtyard office, but be fast, they often sell out.

Training for servers, cashiers, stewards and managers will be in early July. The dates and times will be sent to volunteers via email. As always, there will be opportunities to add shifts throughout the run of the fair. If you are interested in training for a new position, contact Rich Skoczylas and plan on attending the appropriate training session.

We have exciting new happenings this year with new point-of-sale touch screen registers, wine by the bottle at the Chris Cunningham Express Bar and some new-look decorations honoring our 50^th anniversary. Volunteers will once again receive two drink tickets a shift that can each be exchanged for a glass of varietal wine or two tastes of some fantastic award-winning wines. The fair credentials allow volunteers access to the fair every day, including sold out dates.

See you at the fair!

It is almost unfathomable that the OCWS created and has been hosting the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition for 50 years. The just recently held 2026 competition was executed, as has come to be the norm, with exceptional professionalism. The attention to details was evident in every aspect of the competition, which created top-notch experience for judges and volunteers alike.

With over 2,500 wines entered, equating to the handling of upwards of 13,000 bottles or more, the magnitude of the tasks required to coordinate a successful competition is no small feat. The logistics and efficient coordination of every detail is overseen by a committee of 20 dedicated volunteers who, no sooner does one competition end, are already working on the next year’s competition and, although working on the next to come, planning is at least four years out with contracts already executed for the venue where the competition is held.

Although led by a committee of 20, it is the dedication of the hundreds of volunteers throughout the year that results in a competition that is highly respected within the wine industry. The integrity of the cataloging and bagging processes, coupled with the integrity of the judging process and everything in between, are what continue to make the competition a benchmark for excellence.

Kudos to all whose hands had a part in yet another extraordinarily successful OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The success of the competition is a true testament to the vision, leadership and tireless efforts of all.

—Fran Gitsham, OC Fair CWC Chair

Many achievements are being celebrated as part of our organization’s 50^th anniversary and the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The Label Competition is no exception. Since the end of the era of requiring actual wine labels with bottle entries, the Label Competition has had to rely almost exclusively on digital labels, or absent them, photos of labels.

Through the efforts of the label committee and cataloging group, this year’s candidates for the semi-final reached a new high with over 500 reviewable labels. The Label Committee narrows the entries and puts them in the appropriate category.  If the candidate does not have an actual or digital label a phone call requesting either one is made. The final selections are completed and display boards are prepared and voted on at the Commercial Wine Competition by both the judges and the stewards. One-hundred and eighty-one ballots were cast, another record.

Best of Show came from the Gold medal labels and this year it went to the Best Use of Color Category and to Wiens Family for their 2023 Crowded Red Wine Label. The gold medalists featured several new wineries such as Chateau Caroline, Bienvenue Vineyard, Inman Family and Tiny Vineyards. The standard bearers for Golds also returned such as J. Lohr, Herringer Vyds and Big Nose Winery.

Thanks to the Cataloguing Committee for their help and thanks to the Label Committee for all their time and effort.

Be sure to visit the Label Competition Display for all the winners at The Courtyard during the fair.

—Sam Puzzo and Carol Frank, OCWS Label Competition Co-Chairs