OCWS funds scholarships for eight California Colleges and Universities, including the culinary arts program at Orange Coast College. OCC is one of the few programs not focused on enology or viticulture but on culinary arts. Students at OCC can obtain an associate’s degree in culinary arts and various occupational certificates. The. school typical has several hundred students enrolled in the various programs. Just recently, OCC added a wine component to their culinary arts program.
In May, I had the good fortune to attend the 66th annual OCC Honors Night Scholarship Ceremony and award OCWS scholarships to seven very deserving students. Over 300 scholarships were given to nearly 500 students. The recipients for the OCWS Scholarships at OCC are:
Khoa M. To
Man-in Chao
Jasmine Tre Dagley
Morgan E. Downie
Blanca Michelle Granados
Shannon Michelle White
Madeline X. Ngyuen
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 2024. There are two ways to donate:
Mail a check – Make your check out to OCWS and mail it to the OCWS office at OCWS O. Box 11059 Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Attn: Scholarship Fund A donation letter will be sent to you.
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.
1. In what decade did Chardonnay suffer criticism leading to the ABC acronym, Anything But Chardonnay?
A. 1970s
B. 1980s
C. 1990s
2. Chardonnay has suffered criticism as a consequence of winemakers:
A. using new oak and malolactic fermentation (MLF)
B. using charred barrels for aging
C. using malolactic fermentation (MLF)
3. The use of malolactic fermentation (MLF) to produce Chardonnay results in:
A. A creamy flavor
B. A buttery flavor
C. Both a creamy and buttery flavor
4. Chardonnay wine can be a wine for all white wine lovers because this ubiquitous grape can provide any style of wine from dry still wines to sparkling wines to sweet late harvest wines.
A. True
B. False
5. The Chardonnay grape is a vitis vinifera cross of Pinot Noir and a Croatian grape that was brought to France by the Romans. The two grapes were planted in close proximity and subsequently interbred. What was the name of this Croatian grape?
A. Gouais Blanc
B. Glera
C. Garganega
6. Grown in France, where did Chardonnay originate?
A. Chablis
B. Burgundy
C. Champagne
7. A favorite with winemakers, the Chardonnay grape is easily cultivated, adapts to different environments and takes on the characteristics of its vineyard, making the grape easy to demonstrate and express the terroir and the winemaker’s style.
A. True
B. False
8. One of the best-known uses of the Chardonnay grape is:
A. Serving it to a first date
B. Using it in the making of sparkling wine
C. Eating it to provide digestive fiber
9. In Italy, Chardonnay is used to make a sparkling wine called Franciacorta in which Italian Region?
A. Tuscany
B. Lombardy
C. Veneto
10. In Italy, the Chardonnay grape is allowed in the making of Prosecco in what region?
A. Tuscany
B. Veneto
C. Umbria
11. Chardonnay’s acidity accompanied by its other moderate, neutral characteristics seem to make it a favorite for sparkling wines. In Spain, Chardonnay is allowed to be blended in:
A. Roja
B. Cava
C. Sherry
Chardonnay—it’s dry, it’s sweet, it’s oaky, it’s buttery, it’s fruity, it’s complex, it’s acidic, it’s minerally, it’s sparkling. It gives a whole new meaning to anything but Chardonnay because it is anything BUT Chardonnay! So, ignore the alphabet, if you have the wine, enjoy it! Cheers!
Answers: 1. C, 2. A, 3. C, 4. A, 5. A, 6. B, 7. A, 8. B, 9. B. 10. B, 11. B
—CL Keedy, Linda Flemins and the Wine Education Committee
Who could have imagined that a small band of 16 like-minded, wine-loving people getting together 48 years ago could grow the largest competition of California-only wines in the world?
From that handful of passionate people and one small table at the very first competition, which had a whopping three varietals to be judged with a total of 49 entries, the OCWS continues to elevate the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, which now finds entries of upwards of 2,500 California commercial wines each year being judged by a distinguished panel of nearly 100 renowned California winemakers and winery principals.
One can only further envision just what it takes to successfully pull off the competition year after year. The event is overseen by the Commercial Competition Committee, which is comprised of a number of people from the chairperson, who heads the rest of the committee, to the cataloging coordinators who catalog and handle upwards of 15,000 bottles of wine. There is the director of judges, who coordinates all the judges and their activities and the facilities coordinator, who handles the hotel arrangements, room bookings and meals. There is also a judges’ liaison, the judges’ scoring coordinator, the data entry supervisory and the volunteer coordinators and the bagging, moving and sorting coordinators.
And, lest we forget, the more than 300 OCWS volunteers working each year doing all other jobs to make the competition more successful than the one before.
The competition itself isn’t, technically, complete until the results have been tabulated, medals awarded, remaining duplicate bottles sorted and photographed for publication and posted on our results website, winecompetition.com, and put to bed for further sorting for various purposes, such as pouring to the public at The Courtyard at the OC Fair and the annual Wine Auction. And then, after just two months of taking deep breaths after the competition is completed, it all begins again in preparation for the next one.
If I have not provided enough information yet to have your heads spinning, I could continue to bore you with more statistics, positions and lists of people who, out of their passion for the OCWS, and the goodness of their hearts, take on all manners of positions.
This is truly just the beginning wherein you hear about volunteers running this organization. It is the hearts and minds of the OCWS members who bring everything we do to fruition in an amazingly competent and successful way. All that can truly be said at the end of the day is that there is no organization, nor group of dedicated volunteers, anywhere that can rival the Orange County Wine Society!
Fran Gitsham, Chair, 2024 Commercial Wine Competition
Heart from pouring red wine in goblet isolated on white
This month I am reminded about how much we have to celebrate as an organization. With over 1,000 members, we are one of the largest groups of wine enthusiasts in the nation. And with 48 years of history, we have seen so much change and growth in the wine industry, especially in California.
In 1976, the same year OCWS was founded, the Judgement of Paris catapulted California into the vino stratosphere with a majority of the winners coming from familiar California wineries, rather than their French counterparts. You might recognize some of the wineries: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Ridge Vineyards, Heitz Wine Cellars, Clos Du Val Winery, Maycamas Vineyards, Freemark Abbey Winery, Chateau Montelena, Chalone Vineyard, Spring Mountain Vineyard, Veedercrest Vineyards and David Bruce Winery. May 24 is the anniversary of that famous showdown.
California has a long tradition of exceptional wine-making that is reflected in the winners at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, which our organization has hosted for 48 years. The founding of our organization coincides with an explosion of wineries throughout the state. Starting with only a few categories in the 1970s, the competition has grown to dozens of new wine categories for both varietals and blends and thousands of entries.
Wine is a very universal language and is almost always associated with celebration. Here are a few dates that you can use this month to celebrate:
May 3 – International Sauvignon Blanc Day
May 9 – World Moscato Day
May 23 – International Chardonnay Day
May 25 – National Wine Day
But honestly, do we really need a designated day to celebrate? We, as an organization, celebrate throughout the year with dozens of events and activities that pair wine education and fun!
I personally would like to toast many of you who put in hours of volunteering to make this these events and this organization such a huge success. From the board of directors, to committee members and event volunteers, we literally have hundreds of people helping make this organization what it is today. In April alone, we had over 11 events and hundreds of attendees and volunteers … and we are just moving into our busy season.
If you are new to the organization and haven’t volunteered at one of our events yet, I highly recommend it. Each of our events provides a number of volunteer opportunities that include a whole range of activities, from more sedentary jobs on the computer or with paperwork to very active jobs lifting wine, setting up tables and more. I cannot think of any other organization that provides so many interesting opportunities for everyone to participate at some level. And we do it all while increasing our knowledge of wine and having a ball. Don’t miss your opportunity to work directly with winemakers at the Commercial and Home Wine Competitions (in June) or with the general public at The Courtyard at the OC Fair (in July and August). If you are interested in helping organize our amazing events, committees are often looking for new members to train.
So whatever day you wish to celebrate this May, raise a glass to the remarkable wines of California and the accomplishments of this incredible organization. We are living proof that you can pair knowledge and fun any day. Cheers to you all!
Every year, one of the BEST locations to meet and greet at the OC Fair is at The Courtyard, an attractive place to enjoy award-winning wines while generating the largest source of OCWS scholarship funds. Our crew helps make sure the OCWS passes various OC Fair & Event Center requirements and other inspections the week […]
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Unlike a traditional lighthouse that warns ships they are close to the shore, the beacon at Mike Paz’s home in Yorba Linda serves a completely different purpose – it’s time to make or drink wine.
When he’s in the cellar, the 15-foot-high tower built with stacked stone and adorned with the colorful bottoms of wine bottles, is illuminated signaling Paz is inside.
Curious neighbors had to know what was going on, so they stopped by and they were fortunate they did.
Not only does he make wine out of his 93 square-foot cellar located in his yard, he also has a wide selection of fine wine that will delight any palate.
“When the light is on, my wife knows I’m in the cellar,” Paz cracked. “Neighbors would come over to see what I was making and word started to spread.”
The cellar, which serves as a laboratory as well as storage, cost $5,000 to build and was partly inspired by Paz’s desire to make wine in 2010. As a member of the Orange County Wine Society, he and other members would go on trips to different regions in California to learn about winemaking.
“For me, it was about developing relationships with winemakers,” Paz said. “I want to know the latest and greatest techniques. They give you a lot of hints are are able to share ideas.”
His cellar can accommodate about 300 bottles and about 85 percent of his collection is wine made under his label — Paz-Espana.
Paz’s grandfather designed a house for a man in Mexico who opened his doors to those who were persecuted for their religious beliefs during the Cristeros War. In 1977, Paz was able to make the trek to Polanco, Mexico and visit the home.
When he knocked on the door to the tri-level house that sat on a corner (similar to the Flatiron Building), the man who was well into his 90s, let Paz inside for a tour. He also gave Paz a sheet with his grandfather’s original drawing that now serves as the design for the wine label along with the family coat of arms from Spain.
Paz makes about eight to 10 cases of wine a year, primarily reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. He has quite a few medals from home wine competitions but maybe most impressive is winning a Double Gold and being named Best in Class at the California State Fair in 2017 for his Chardonnay.
“You eventually become your own critic,” Paz said of his wines. “I’ve learned you can’t make good wine from bad grapes.”
His cellar is always 85-90 percent stocked and the star of his collection is a bottle of the renowned Sassicaia. Much of the wine he produces he shares with others or gives away. His niece is getting married soon and take a guess what the guests will be drinking?
As for those neighbors, they not only drink the wine, they have helped Paz along the way.
“They feel like they are part of it. It’s something they would never experience,” Paz said. “There’s a whole romance to wine. It becomes a talking point, a conversation starter and it’s something we all enjoy.”
Heart from pouring red wine in goblet isolated on white
By Carolyn Christian
We are off to an amazing start for 2024 with several stellar OCWS events in January, including an amazing Bubble ‘n’ Brunch at the Citrus City Grille and the Winery Program featuring Once and Future Wine Company and veteran winemaker Joel Peterson.
Both events sold out! We also hosted two fun and informative Varietal Hours featuring new wines for the new year and hard-to-pronounce varietals. Our quality wine programs are reflective of our 48 years of experience and our dedicated volunteers who make our events such great successes. It truly warms my heart to lead this amazing organization!
February Events
February is the month dedicated to LOVE and nothing says LOVE like wine! This month promises to be another great month for OCWS events that you will just LOVE – with a winery program from award-winning Bella Grace Vineyards and a mini-outing at the local DeFalco Family Wines.
We highly recommend calling the OCWS to be put on the waitlist for our events, as we do have cancellations and try to accommodate as many people as possible. Our next mini-tasting—Old World Europe vs. California wines—still has spots available, so sign up soon. And everyone is always welcome to participate in our Monday evening Varietal Hours via Zoom. February’s themes are Bordeaux and Women of Color wines.
Future Events
We have dozens of upcoming events beyond February, but they do sell out, so please check the newsletter for information on future events and sign up on our website as early as possible!
Future events include more Winery Programs (through May), the Spring Social on April 6, the Wine Auction on April 20 and the next Bubbles ‘n’ Brunch on May 5.
For those who want to try their hand at making wine, the Winemakers’ Group provides education, equipment and guidance.
Details for all the events mentioned can be found in this newsletter and on our website at OCWS.org (logon required). Trouble logging on? Please contact our office for assistance.
Volunteer Opportunities
Our organization is more than just fun wine events. We are an all-volunteer organization that puts on incredible wine events! On behalf of the OCWS, I would like to thank everyone who contributes their time to the organization each year.
The number of volunteer opportunities with OCWS are endless! Consider volunteering at one of our events for set up, check in, pouring wine or clean up. We have dozens of volunteer opportunities for our larger events as well. The Wine Auction, OC Fair Commercial Competition, OC Fair Home Wine Competition and Wine Courtyard at the OC Fair have both active and sedentary positions. These events provide unique experiences to learn more about wine, meet OCWS members and winemakers and share in the organization’s success.
To volunteer for an event, please check the event articles posted online for instructions on how to volunteer or contact the event chair.
Communications
It is important to stay informed of our upcoming events. We communicate with our membership through Constant Contact, the announcement of our monthly newsletter, weekly upcoming event reminders and emails on specific events. If you are not receiving these announcements, please check your spam folder or contact our office for assistance. While your logon to our website is only available using the primary member’s email, our eblasts are sent to both members and co-members, if we have emails for each on file. Please log on to your OCWS account to check your member and co-member emails listed in your profile.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our future events! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
The OC Wine Society has been around since the mid-1970s and was founded by a group of home winemakers. Over the years, we have developed into one of the largest wine enthusiast groups in the nation. As we approach our 50th anniversary, the History Committee is gathering information to share about our organization’s history.
The number of entries in the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition has varied over the years. In the 1980s, we even had 16 wine coolers entered into the competition.
The committee is asking members to share their historical photos, event programs and fond memories. This month we would like to encourage long-time members to help us gather old paper issues of our newsletter, The Wine Press, from 1976 to 2005. You can either scan a good-quality copy of the newsletter or bring it to us to scan for you. Please contact us if you have any historical information to contribute.
–Carolyn Christian, Hank Bruce, Jane Goodnight, Linda Flemins, OCWS History Committee
Winemaking has long been a family tradition for Gus DeFalco. Growing up in Toronto, a young Gus remembers waiting at the train station for the precious cargo – California grapes – an event that became a family tradition.
His family hailed from Italy and relocated to the popular Canadian city. There, Gus learned the tools of the trade but it also instilled in him the communal aspect of the hobby he grew to love. There was the backyard crush, fermenting in the basement and then pressing the grapes before they were placed into barrels.
He eventually landed in Southern California as a teen, living with his aunt. So enamored with the area, he decided to stay and his family followed thereafter.
Gus and a friend opened a pizzeria in Alhambra before he was drafted into the Army. When he returned, his interest in winemaking only intensified – hence he joined home winemaking groups in the Orange County Wine Society and Cellar Masters.
He improved his skills at UC Davis and Fresno State. During this time, he connected with growers who he still has relationships with today.
“I’ve known some of them for 20 plus years and I get grapes from the same rows,” Gus said. “It really is about the people and who you know. That’s how it all begins.”
He credits the home winemaking groups for refining his craft and propelling his to another level.
“You can’t fail making wine with the OCWS home wine group; there’s like 500 years combined experience and when you combine that with getting great grapes, making wine is a piece of cake,” he said. “I would have made wine regardless but I wouldn’t have gotten to this point. The support has been tremendous.”
Gus decided to venture out on his own and started Orange Coast Winery in Newport Beach more than a decade ago. The winery has been a mainstay in Orange County and Gus is proud of what he accomplished. He later passed the reins to Doug and Debbie Wiens, who have their own well-known winery in Temecula.
Although Gus never thought he would be winemaking for a living, he still wanted to have a hand in the game. This past April, he and his wife, Jennifer, opened DeFalco Family Foods & Wines in Fountain Valley. He calls it a “winery with an Italian mini-mart,” equipped with homemade Italian foods and wines.
Winemaker Gus DeFalco shares his pride and joy with a group of customers at his Fountain Valley establishment.
Only open for five hours on Saturdays – similar to a farmers market — the store has an intimate tasting room that can hold 16 people around a large table in the center of the room. Gus is both winemaker and server as he tells guests about each of the 12 varietals – six whites and six reds – he pours.
“I love the people part of it and sharing what I made with them,” he said. “People are probably coming in here not thinking much of the wine but they are pleasantly surprised.”
One recent afternoon, a group of women were enjoying the wine and the camaraderie when Gus asked one of them as they left what they thought of the wine.
“I’d give the wine a 9 (out of 10),” she replied as Gus beamed in appreciation.
It would be hard to escape the tasting room without picking anything up from the store. There are a host of sauces, heat-and-eat entrees, pastas, salad dressings, cookies and even a limoncello tiramisu (see sidebar for recipe). The couple offer three wines, three sauces, three pastas and three packages of cookies for $125.
Gus says he plans to produce about 1,000 cases of wine in 2024 and hopes that word of mouth helps drive customers to his store. He envisions that reservations will be needed every Saturday for his intimate tasting room.
“I’m at my pinnacle right now,” he said. “This is exactly what I wanted.”
