OCWS
Imagine walking into a room of over 100 people and not knowing a single person. It sounds a little daunting! That is currently what happens when a new member attends his or her first Wine Society event. What if that new member knew at least one or two other people in the room? Does that […]
What happens when you get more than 200 volunteers working nearly 1,500 shifts, pouring over 7,000 bottles of wine?
Another successful year at The Courtyard at the OC Fair!
Over the course of 23 days, the Orange County Wine Society educated fairgoers, featured wineries from across the state and welcomed new members.
The year-round efforts of The Courtyard Committee paid off in spades. Helmed by OCWS Board Member and Courtyard Chair Fred Heinecke, the committee comprised of nearly 20 dedicated members worked tirelessly to make the annual fair run a seamless affair.
While volunteers look forward to earning free vouchers to taste award-winning wines or a host of varietals, here is a different kind of taste worth savoring:
There were 41,644 transactions, 208 volunteers who worked 1,486 shifts. There were 7,505 tastings of award-winning wine, 11,405 varietals, 2,849 Champagne splits, 2,600 glasses of premium red and 3,751 glasses of premium red.
One hundred and thirty-seven bottles of red wine were sold, while there were 156 bottles of white wine sold.
Concert specials, you ask? There were 2,887. Nearly 2,000 glasses of house wine were poured and the Taste of Fair weighed in with 2,045. And 47 cases of Govino glasses were sold.
The best-selling white wine was the 2024 Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc at 53 cases and the performing red was the 2022 Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon at 44 cases.
Joining the OCWS ranks were 179 new members – 53 dual memberships and 73 single memberships.
Sixteen seminars were held and 10 of those were sold out. Even more promising is that most of the seminars were nearly comprised equally of curious fairgoers and OCWS members.
Over at the Featured Winery Program, Liz and Lloyd Corbett did another fantastic job of bringing 15 wineries to The Courtyard. If you didn’t get to visit the booth during the weekend, you missed out on some screaming deals.
Bella Grace Winery offered 30 percent off and a flat shipping fee. Sculpterra gave half off a case and only $25 shipping, while Macchia gave steep discounts on their entire selection of wines, with one OCWS member, who also is a Macchia club member, to exclaim that the deals at the OC Fair were better than the club discounts. Eberle offered a 20 percent cut to everyone and a 40 percent discount to military and police. Wine Guy and Wine Gal Winery offered a second case of wine free with a purchase of a case of wine for $450.
All that to say that the Featured Winery Program raked in $30,361, 31 percent higher than in 2024, with the proceeds going to the OCWS Scholarship Fund. And good news! Eberle, Sculpterra, Macchia, San Simeon and Bella Grace have already signed up to return in 2026.
Combined with the $16,586 collected in the donation jars and credit card tips, nearly $47,000 was raised for the Scholarship Fund – and that doesn’t even account for the counter sales, which will be revealed at the Annual Business Meeting.
To all those who helped at the fair, the OCWS board and The Courtyard Committee extend a heartfelt thanks and appreciation. For those who haven’t yet volunteered, there will be no better time to experience the fun and camaraderie the fair provides next year as the OCWS celebrates its 50th anniversary.
It has been an incredible year for the Orange County Wine Society. On Aug. 2, OCWS graced the front page of the OC Register. What a truly proud moment to receive such recognition from our local newspaper. The headline read, “Afficianados Take Their Wine Seriously,” and the story covered many aspects of our organization including The Courtyard operations and Wine Seminars during the OC Fair, the Commercial Wine Competition, the OCWS Scholarship Fund and much more. While the article captured all the work we do, it was the photos that captured another aspect of our organization: all the joy we bring to people. Whether it is helping increase sales of the limited production and boutique wineries that enter our competition, to the students who benefit from our scholarships, to the general public who simply feel a sense of happiness when tasting the amazing California wines we serve. What we do truly pairs wine education and fun and binds us together.
The Courtyard
The Courtyard has been one of many success stories this year. While the wine industry continues to see a decline in sales across the country, our numbers have increased. We owe many thanks to Fred Heinecke, Fran Gitsham and all of those who helped make the The Courtyard at the OC Fair happen. We had a record-breaking year, raising funds and recruiting members. A special shout out to Liz and Lloyd Corbett and their team for the amazing Featured Winery Program to support our Scholarship Fund and to Ed Reyes and Sara Yeoman and their team for the incredible wine seminars.
Board Elections and Bylaw Changes
Each September, we have board elections to replace three outgoing board members and present any proposed bylaw changes to the membership for a vote. This year the terms are ending for Rich Skoczylas, Linda Flemins and John Lane. I would personally like to thank Rich, Linda and John for their years of service to the organization. Candidate statements are posted on our website, and you will have an opportunity to hear them speak at the Annual Business Meeting. Ballots will be emailed in September. Now is a good time to log on to your account to confirm your email address.
50th Anniversary
Next year marks our 50th anniversary as a nonprofit organization. We would appreciate your input and ask that you share your memories of the organization by going to OCWS.ws/50th and completing our survey. Look for more information next month on our 50th Anniversary Fund with your chance to donate to preserving the OCWS archives for the future and obtaining our 50th anniversary logo merchandise.
Closing
As I close this year as president of this remarkable organization, I am reminded of what an amazing group of people we have. Whatever our backgrounds or beliefs, we all share a common love of wine and the willingness to share our wine journey experiences with each other. It always astonishes me (and others) that this organization is made up of over 1,000 members who come together to put on such amazing events. or those new to the organization because of the OC Fair, I welcome you to this organization and wish you all a wonderful wine journey. Cheers to all!
Welcome to OCWS! We’re excited to have you as a member and want to ensure you feel supported and connected from the very start.
The New Member Friend Program is designed to help you get the most out of your OCWS experience. As a new member, you can be paired with a New Member Volunteer who will guide you through your first events, answer your questions and provide a friendly face to greet you.
If so, simply contact the OCWS office at office@ocws.org and let us know you’d like to participate. Please include your preferred form of communication (text, phone or email), and we’ll match you with a New Member Volunteer who will reach out to you directly.
Participation in the New Member Friend Program is completely optional.
To explore all OCWS events and sign up, visit our OCWS Events Page. Please log in to your account to view event details and register. If you have any trouble with your account, our website experts at the OCWS office are here to help—just email office@ocws.org or call (714) 708-1636.
Our goal is to welcome you and help you make the most of your OCWS membership. Don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re glad you’re here.
–Alice Polser, OCWS Membership Member Liaison
Members join the Wine Searcher Group on the OCWS Facebook page and accept the challenge to taste the 150 different varietals that were judged at this year’s OCWS Commercial Wine Competition. Then share your experiences with your fellow Searchers! Get the list, available of the Facebook group page, and start exploring!
Currently, the OCWS scholarship fund has awarded over $946,000 since 1981. We have a goal to reach the $1 million dollar mark for our 50th anniversary in 2026. This is just a friendly reminder that the OCWS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and contributions to our scholarship fund are tax deductible. (But please check with your tax expert). Don’t wait until the end of the year! It is a good time to make a donation to the OCWS Scholarship Fund. There are several ways to donate:
You can make your donation online and print a receipt for tax purposes at the same time.
—Damian Christian, Scholarship Chair
We have just completed a very successful Courtyard at the 2025 OC Fair that included more than a dozen wine seminars, many of which were structured to explain and illustrate the art of wine and food pairing. Our members leading the seminars paired wine with fair food, BBQ, snack food and cheese. Sparkling wine was paired with sweets and grapes with grains. The pairings all sounded like fun and it can’t be that difficult, matching wines with different foods, can it? Oh yes it can and congrats to our members who successfully developed and led the seminars, because wine and food pairing, something that has been going on for centuries, is not an easy task.
Given that from the beginning of time, food and wine were consumed together and there was probably no attention given to matching the food with the wine or the wine with the food. What local food and wine you had was what you consumed. But in essence this was pairing. One of the many approaches to food and wine pairing today is regional/geographic proximity of the items paired. An actual concerted effort to pair food and wine started in Europe when taverns and inns evolved into restaurants. The origin of the word restaurant comes from the French word, “restaurer,” which loosely translates to “provide food for.” It was during this development of restaurants, with the increased use of tableclothes, plates, knives, forks, spoons and glasses, that the basic concepts of drinking red wine with meat, white wine with fish and fowl and sweet wine with dessert were adopted. Pairing had begun.
Wine and food pairing began in Europe with the epicenter being France. In fact, the historical relevance of the French structured meal matching food and wine is so important that in 2010 UNESCO added, “The gastronomical meal of the French – the art of the pairing of food with wine” to its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It was during the 1920s and 1930s that the matching of culinary dishes with wine started to become a science, as well as an art. Numerous culinary, scientific, geographic and historical books were being written. Even though many of the pairings of the Middle Ages had some medicinal basis, the new “rules” for pairing were changing all of that.
But it really wasn’t until the 1980s that interest in food and wine pairing increased in the United States. Restaurants started to promote wine dinners, food magazines suggested pairings and wineries were making culinary suggestions on their wine bottle labels.
What, however, are the “rules” or proposed suggestions to pair food and wine? When you look for help to answer that question there is no shortage of expert advice. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some suggestions that I found when looking into this subject:
Some of the above you will notice are still the pairing suggestions of old. But as is so often true, there is no stopping creativity even when trying to pair the right wine with the right food. New pairing suggestions have been developed using scientific/chemical analysis to build molecular flavor harmony. Krug Champagne has added specially composed music to the equation in an effort to create harmonious pairings. Specific bottles of Krug Champagne Grande Cuvee have a code that allows you to hear the paired music. And when all else fails check with Artificial Intelligence. The wine “paired” with prime ribs of beef – full bodied red with high tannin such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec or a Bordeau blend; and for filet of sole cooked in butter, lemon and herbs – a light crisps white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or a dry, unoaked Chardonnay like Chablis. Not bad pairings but even AI uses the old rules – red with meat and white with fish.
However, to paraphrase Tim Hanni, a Master of Wine, the diner’s taste preferences should be matched to the wine not the food. And I agree. I often say my favorite wine is the one in my glass. When it comes to wine and food pairing, experiencing as many different pairings as we could with the wine seminars is fun and educational and a good basis to build on. We can each choose a wine to pair with our meal. Will it always be a perfect or even good pairing, perhaps not. But when you find a wine you like, open it, and if it pairs well, so much the better. Just enjoy it. Cheers!
–C.L. Keedy, Wine Education Committee
When Stephanie Burtin moved to Yorba Linda and eventually learned about the Orange County Wine Society, she knew she found a place where she could meet like-minded people.
Born in Lyon, France, Stephanie was a chemical engineer by trade but she moved to Orange County with the intention of starting her own business — something she had always dreamed of doing. Moving to the U.S. gave her the perfect chance to launch Osprey Boutique Travel, which brought together her two passions: wine and travel.
Tapping into her French roots, Stephanie specifically designs trips for those wanting to explore the various French wine regions. She takes pride in the curated experiences that clients seek, whether it’s visiting centuries-old castles in Loire Valley, enjoying a wellness journey in Provence or discovering hidden wineries in Burgundy. She is able to unlock the gems of each region to a traveler’s liking.
“It’s really geared to what people want,” she said. “It’s very customized and personalized to match a client’s preferences. People come to us because we are not doing business as usual.”
From an early age, Stephanie learned about the value of good food as she and others who grew up with her were immersed in agriculture. Eventually with the assistance of a sommelier, she was introduced to the nuanced world of wine and the importance of pairing food with a specific varietal.
When she decided to start her business four years ago, she said the way to separate her business and to really stand out was providing wine journeys that were truly authentic experiences. In that vein, she often travels to France herself and works with Michelin-star chefs or finds off-the-beaten-path wineries that don’t often open their doors to the public.
Pairing food and wine “is the French way of life,” she said. “It’s social. It’s about community. It’s about understanding how wine from vineyards only five minutes away from each other can taste totally different.”
Just as OCWS seeks to educate those who join the organization, so does Stephanie who says clients come back to the United States with a greater appreciation of the French winemaking ways. Usually, the biggest takeaway is having people understand how vital the terrior – the environmental factors such as climate, soil and location – can influence the wine’s character.
“There are so many regions and you really never taste the same wine,” she said. “For us in France, wine is an agricultural product and there’s a diversity there.”
Stephanie has come to enjoy the array of wines in California. Her favorite is Petite Sirah, a grape that isn’t found in France, and she also enjoys Zinfandels. She said there’s never a bad time to open a bottle of California wine.
As she continues to bridge the path for Americans to visit her native country, Stephanie is grateful she’s able to share her heritage and appreciation of wine with others.
“It’s a product that comes from a fruit and you are able to create something really special,” said Stephanie, who gets the occasional goosebump when asked to describe her love of wine. “Wine is so diverse and has so many possibilities that can be enjoyable.”
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.
50th Anniversary Logo Contest and Memory Sharing
As we approach our 50th 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!
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 50th 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.
| Round | Wine | Brand | Inland / Coastal | Year | Price | Score | |
| 1A | Chardonnay | Bernardus – Coastal – Monterey | Coastal | 2022 | $ 21.0 | 58 | 88 |
| 1B | Chardonnay | Hanzell – Inland – Sonoma | Inland | 2023 | $ 32.0 | 30 | |
| 2A | Pinot Noir | Blood Root – Inland – Sonoma | Inland | 2023 | $ 22.0 | 47 | 65 |
| 2B | Pinot Noir | Busy Signal – Coastal – Santa Rita Hills | Coastal | 2023 | $ 39.0 | 18 | |
| 3A | Merlot | Clos Pegase – Inland – Napa Valley | Inland | 2021 | $ 22.0 | 63 | 89 |
| 3B | Merlot | Russian Ridge – Coastal – Santa Clara | Coastal | 2014 | $ 28.0 | 26 | |
| 4A | Zinfandel | 103 | Inland | 2021 | $ 35.0 | 103 | 170 |
| 4B | Zinfandel | Ancient Peaks – Coastal – Paso Robles | Coastal | 2021 | $ 16.0 | 67 | |
| 5A | Cabernet | Beckman – Inland – Santa Ynez | Inland | 2022 | $ 29.0 | 114 | 167 |
| 5B | Cabernet | Paysan – Coastal – Central Coast – San Benito | Coastal | 2022 | $ 20.0 | 53 |