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!

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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

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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

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Ready to show your OCWS 50^th anniversary spirit at the OC Fair or future OCWS events?  We have 50^th anniversary SWAG available for purchase.  Wear a 50^th anniversary lapel pin or embroidered patch with your OCWS hat, shirt and/or apron.  Items can be preordered and will be available for pickup at the upcoming OC Fair meetings and Courtyard shifts.

Available SWAG:

Payments can be made with Cash, Check or Zelle (payment@OCWS.org).  To preorder your items, go to OCWS.ws/50thSWAG.

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If you’ve ever attended an OCWS Spring or Fall event, or volunteered at the annual Home Wine Competition, you’ve experienced amazing culinary artistry and a group at its best.  The organization’s own Cook’s Caucus is an amazing blend of talent, creativity and friendship. The passion and dedication of this group shines through in every dish. Over the many years the group has been in existence, they’ve created not only delicious meals, but also lasting memories. 

The Cook’s Caucus proves that the best ingredient is teamwork and, although the hands have changed throughout the years, the group always reflects creativity, care and a love of bringing people together through food.  Each member of the group brings their own uniqueness, expertise and passion for food to the table.

Kudos to the Cook’s Caucus who continue to elevate any OCWS event at which they, like fine artists, perform.  Thanks go out to our current roster who just provided both breakfast and lunch for 180 people at the 2026 Home Wine Competition and will next be providing their offerings at the Fall Membership Event in October.

—Fran Gitsham, Vice President

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July is here, summer is at its peak, and wine season is shining brighter than ever! From holiday celebrations and backyard BBQs to beach days, concerts, fireworks, and sunset evenings with friends, there are endless reasons to pour a glass and make the most of the season.

For this month’s photo contest, we want to see your favorite July wine moments! Whether you’re sharing a bottle with friends, enjoying a summer getaway, celebrating beneath the fireworks, or toasting the sunset, snap a photo and send it our way. Show us the moments that make wine and summer such a perfect match!

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: Sunshine, good company, and great wine.

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.

—Leslie Hodowanec, Arnie Gamboa, Hank Bruce and Sue England – Photo Committee

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Together, we evaluated 601 wines from 177 winemakers from across California, with the largest category red blends having 65 wines and Cabernet Sauvignon with 58 wines. We are happy to award 119 Double Gold Medals, 90 Gold Medals, 239 Silver Medals and 111 Bronze Medals.

I am hearing over and over from our judges, complimenting that the wines “just keep getting better and better every year.”  Best of Show awards went to Red Wine: Tom Bender (2024 Petite Sirah, White Wine), White Wine: Emiko Miyamoto (2025 Viognier, Rosé Wine), Rose Wine: Scott Carpenter (2025 Barbera Rosé), Fruit Wine: Ed Wall (2025 Dessert style Pomegranate), and Dessert Wine: Michael Ray Brown (2024 Late Harvest Concord Wine). 

Our Label Competition had 78 entries this year and Best of Show went to Jack Graham for his label on his 2025 Grenache Blush wine. We handed out 36 Gold Awards, 23 Silver Awards and 18 Bronze Awards for their beautiful wine labels.

You can view your Wine and Label results at HomeWineCompetition.com.

As for the operation of the Home Wine Competition, comments have been overwhelmingly positive, including:

I was judging today at the amateur competition and I was struck by how well organized the whole event was. From preparatory seminars and timely emails to the food offerings and the wine pouring and glassware cleaning and the score checking, all the amazing volunteers – everyone knew exactly what to do! This is probably the best organized wine comp I have attended. — Alan Atkinson

Thank you Alan!

Our amazing bragging rights are that we send out emails and post our scores on our website for all the winemakers in LESS THAN 24 HOURS after the end of judging, and our scoresheets and medals will be going out WITHIN TWO WEEKS!  (The three other large Home Wine Competitions serving our winemakers all take over 30 days!!! to get their results out, and longer to mail the medals). Congratulations to Stacey Taylor and Carolyn Christian for getting the scores out quickly and Lynda Edwards and John Kienstra for getting the scoresheets and medals out quickly.

Special kudos go to my HWC Committee: John Lane (Head of Judges), Ed Reyes and Cheryl Knapp (Head of Volunteers), Stacey Taylor (Database Manager), Wendy Taylor (Label Head Judge), Carolyn Christian (Marketing), Lynda Edwards and John Kienstra (Awards and Scoresheet Mailing), Teri Lane and Stephanie D’Jang (Scoring), Kim Guerin (BOS Head Steward), Jerry Guerin (Instructor for Judges’ Seminar), Fran Gitsham (OC Fair Liaison), and Lynda Edwards, Craig and Lisa Peterson (Cook’s Caucus). And special thanks go out to the OC Fair and Event Center for the FANTASTIC 50 YEARS OF SUPPORT of both of our competitions and being great partners with our organization.

I have been the Chair of this Competition for the past 13 years, and I send a sincere THANK YOU to all of our volunteers who contribute to make the OC Fair’s Home Wine Competition an AMAZING SUCCESS year after year after year!

—Kevin Donnelly, Chair, OC Fair Home Wine Competition

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—CL Keedy, Co-Chair Wine Education Committee

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I am an artist and a lover of wine. A known contrarian. And after years of creating scores of wines of different varietals, an award-winning home winemaker. Let us get the foundation of my experience straight, right off the bat. Establish my perspective so to speak. I’ve been asked by many what I think makes a great wine and I’m happy to share that with you. Grab a glass and here we go.

In 2014, I attended my first organized, official wine competition as a volunteer. I had been interested in wine for decades and “googled” how to get involved locally. The OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition came up on the OCWS website. This event would introduce my first exposure to the difference between commercial and home winemaking.

After a quick race of tasting (and mostly spitting out) commercial wines, I stumbled upon a table separated from the rest. After sampling a few glasses, I asked a gentleman manning the table which winery they represented as they were clearly the best wines I had ever tasted. The wine was extraordinary. Clean, delicious and authentic – ‘living’ was the description that came to mind. His reply surprised me. “We are the OC Home Winemakers Club.” Up until that point in my life, I had never heard of home winemaking. This was the moment that my life truly changed.

That day my first revelation on wine budded. I discovered most commercial wines have a similar dull, meh aroma and an adulterated, unnatural taste of additives when compared with good homemade wine’s fresh clean taste. I determined this came from its youth and purity. This is similar to the difference between frozen processed food that has depleted most of its fresh flavors and living nutrients versus home grown, fresh-picked, organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and freshly baked bread. Many of us can remember, and the lucky ones still have access to, real fresh food. The non-GMO fruit with seeds and vibrant fruit flavors, vegetables with imperfections tasting as God intended, the authenticity of artisan breads. What a difference when we taste the true essence of the earth. I had sadly become accustomed to the processed food flavor of simile of added cherry, grape, plum and blueberry, which behaved as an afterthought

rather than an integral part of the food product. The dried herbs that have lost most of their essence. Imitation vanilla, blueberry flavored syrup. I do know the smell and taste of real Belgian chocolate!

My second wine revelation happened when I came home after judging a wine competition a couple of years later. After a long day I went into my backyard where my wife had planted a blueberry bush years before. I picked a couple organic ripe tiny blueberries off of our bush and popped them into my mouth where they exploded with intense sweet, sour and juicy flavors. I realized the strong aromatic, pungent quality was the same smell/flavor I had struggled to pinpoint just a couple hours earlier when debating with the wine judges about one of the submission’s flavors. It had eluded us at the time. Now it was clear. This is what a real blueberry tastes like. The flavor that escaped me just hours before was almost identical to the fresh-from- the-earth blueberry I had just eaten! I realized I had not tasted this authentic flavor for a very long time. It brought to mind picking and eating wild blueberries in Rhode Island 50 years ago. My grandmother’s fresh picked blueberry pies I ate as a child tasted remarkably different than the blueberry pie filling we had been buying in a can.

Up until this time, my understanding of the history of wine consumption was that most wine had been local and affordable, grown and produced in rural areas. This was before the industrial revolution when large populations moved to the city and food and drinks began being mass- produced with cold shipping. Food and wine had to be produced at a much larger scale. When most people lived rurally, good food and wine was local, affordable and natural. This was especially true in wine countries where it is ubiquitous or locally grown, as was the case of my immigrant grandfather who made his wine at home from Concord grapes he grew.

To find affordable natural, unadulterated (no filtering, pumping, blending or additives) single vineyard organic wine, I realized I would have to make it. I also discovered the natural

commercial wines currently available on the market too often used the natural wild yeasts, giving it undesirable, uncontrollable aromas and flavors I did not appreciate.

I contemplated; How would the most delicious wine be made? If one did not need to make a profit or sell the wine, and all the finest grapes and materials were available to use, allowing no compromise, would it not become the best wine, the most delicious wine? I believed it would be handcrafted home wine using only gravity and lab grown yeast strains within a temperature-controlled environment, aged in the best oak barrels in the world and using California’s premium grapes. One can now choose the varietals and the appropriate yeasts strains, enhancing certain flavors or mouthfeel profiles to make the preferred style of wines with some of the worlds’ finest fresh grapes picked only hours ago, shipped to its destination within the same day. How wonderful is that. This is what I set out to do.

My hypothesis is most wine consumers would prefer good homemade wine, however, they never have a chance to compare them to good commercial wine. My bar for judging good wine is this… Do I want a second glass of this one or would I rather taste other wines available? Or expressed another way; Would a non-wine drinker say “yyuummm” about the mouth feel and flavor? Or does this taste like Water+Fruit+Sunshine+Earth+Weather+Time should taste like?

I understand everyone has their preferred style of wine that they find delicious. However, in my eyes, when encountering a new experience in which you taste a wine so well-balanced with acid, tannins and fruit that you salivate and drool involuntarily… all while your cheeks stick to your teeth and your tongue to the roof of your mouth and your tastebuds are exuberant with complex layers of living aromas and flavors with a long finish… That your senses demand another sip or you will not be as happy ever again… that is a great wine. I have been fortunate to have tasted a few of them in my life so now have an opinion on what I find exceptional. However, I am still a student of great wine and know very little about it besides 40 years of consumption and 12 years of winemaking experience with no academic studies. After all, these are just my musings while tending my wine in the cellar.

However, it would be exciting to create an opportunity to compare good commercial wine to  good home wine with a seasoned judge, perhaps a sommelier, chef or collectors and avid consumers who drink three or four bottles a week.

Join me as I share some more of my revelations. I look forward to it and I hope you do too! If you have a description of good and great wine, I would like to hear it. Barrel tastings for the two favorite submissions.

Cheers,

Jim@dfandc.com

Jim Kerins is an artist and has been making wine for 12 years receiving dozens of Gold and Double Gold Awards including Best of Show Award at the OC Wine Home Winemaking Competition. His passion is sharing his knowledge and expanding the minds of wine lovers.

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