News

OCWS Office Hours

In accordance with the OC Fair & Event Center, our office has temporarily been moved offsite.

If you need to contact someone, we suggest you please email us at Office@ocws.org.

We are working remotely and will pick up your messages from home and redirect them. Our offsite hours are 9 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Lynda Edwards & Rochelle Randel,

Office Administrators

Virtual Wine Seminars

Virtual wine seminars are available to help you learn about wine and help to keep you from being bored during these difficult times. For the wineries who sell their wines as part of their seminars, it is also a way to support them financially. We will keep you updated as we hear about these seminars and plan to post them on our web site.

Here are two that should interest you. One is by Fallbrook Winery, who presented our March Winery Program. Euan Parker, their winemaker will present this seminar. The other is a seminar series by Vinolust presented by Sasha DeJaynes, a regular presenter in our Winery Education Program.

Join Euan Parker for a special vertical tasting of their Bordeaux style blend next Friday, April 24, at 3:00 pm! Euan will be live streaming tasting of the 2012, 2013 and 2016 vintages. Order the vertical tasting package by contacting them at 760.728.0156 or visit their online store fallbrookwinery.com/shop-now. Discounts are available for a purchase of the bundle. Leave your questions in the comment section of the seminar, Euan will answer them during and after the session.

The seminars by Sasha DeJaynes are presented on Thursdays at 3:00 pm. Sasha writes, “Here at Vinolust we are all about bringing you fun learning, travel and tasting opportunities and experiences. As part of our mailing list, you will receive wine news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. We hope you will continue on this journey with us as we celebrate our love for the exploration of all things wine! If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for our Weekly Wine Webinars to join in on the fun.”

Rich Skoczylas – Director

Wine Education 101: Get to know the Alsace Wine Region

Alsace is not one of the more famous wine regions in France, but is certainly the most unique.  Alsace is one of the most northerly wine regions in France (Champagne is furthest north) and lies in the northeast corner of France along the German border and the Rhine river.  It is a small wine region running north and south, about 75 miles long and averaging about 3 miles wide (not all under vine).

Surprisingly, Alsace, lying so far north, receives some of the lowest rainfall in France.  This is because Alsace lies in the rain-shadow effect of the Vosges Mountains, protecting it from Atlantic influences and keeping it warm and sunny.  This northerly climate along with the warm sunshine, results in ripe grapes with complex aromatics.

Alsace also lies along the Rhine graben, part of a long trough that zigzags across Europe with Alsace on one uplifted side and Baden, Germany on the other uplifted side.   Also unique to Alsace is that it contains 13 different major soil types, the result of ancient years of earth movement and erosion.  Some of the best soils for viticulture are found on the slopes of the Vosges Mountains.

What is most unique about this small wine region is its blend of both French and German cultures.  This amalgamation of cultures is a result of the region being forced back and forth in nationality between Germany and France.  Alsace was a German principality in mid-Renaissance, but was annexed by France at the end of the 17th century.  Alsace was reclaimed by Germany at the end of the Franco-Prussian War.  Alsace was then returned to France at the end of World War I, only to be occupied by Germany during World War II.  At the end of World War II, Alsace was once again returned to France.  The result of these transitions of allegiance was a beautiful blending of cultures, language, cuisine, and especially its wine.

Unlike other French wine regions, Alsace wines are labeled in the Germanic tradition – by grape varietal, rather than the French tradition of place.  Alsace also uses the long, tapered flute bottles as is traditional in Germany.

With its continental climate and 13 different soil types, Alsace land supports a wide diversity of grape varietals.  There are seven primary grapes of Alsace:  Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, and Muscat.  Secondary grapes include:  Chardonnay (for Crémant production), Chasselas, Auxerrois Blanc, and Klevener de Heiligenstein.

Out of all these grape varietals produced, the four “Noble Grapes of Alsace” are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat.  These are the approved grapes for Alsace Grand Cru AOCs (with Sylvaner approved for one Grand Cru).  90% of wines made in Alsace are white.  While the wines of Alsace are greatly influenced by their German neighbors, they have qualities distinct to Alsace.  When most people think of these four noble grapes, they may think of sweet wines, as often in Germany.  But in Alsace, these wines are traditionally fermented dry and in stainless steel tanks or neutral barrels.  These wonderfully aromatic varietals, in combination with the northerly climate, variety of soils, and abundant sunshine in Alsace, produce wines that have bright acidity, crisp minerality, fresh fruit and floral aromas, full-bodied, with spices and richness unlike other white wines.  You may think that you are already familiar with Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat varietals – but you have not truly experienced the full character of these wines until you have tasted those from Alsace.

Alsace also produces Pinot Blanc (also known as Klevner), having perfumed and smoky notes, and Pinot Noir, which is distinctly lighter and often used in Sparkling Rosés.  You might also come across a Pinot d’ Alsace which is usually a blend of Auxerrois Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir (vinified as white), and Pinot Gris.

Also not to be missed is the Cremant d’ Alsace, the second most popular sparkling wine in France, made in the same méthode traditionnelle as Champagne.  While Alsace lies nearly as far north as Champagne, the climate is warmer and drier so that the grapes reach greater ripeness and have more round, generous flavors. Often made of crisp Pinot Blanc, Cremant d’ Alsace has a creamy texture (from a minimum 9 months sur lie aging) and can have aromas of crisp apples, citrus, honey, yeasty-notes, toasted, buttered brioche and marzipan.

To top this off, Alsace makes incredibly delicious dessert wines.  Late harvest wines made of the four noble grapes, often affected by botrytis (noble rot) are labeled as “Vendanges Tardives”.  These wines are sweet and honeyed, often having a full-body and high alcohol.  Another Alsatian dessert wine is the “Sélections de Grains Nobles”, also a sweet, late harvest wine made of the four noble grapes.  These late harvest wines must be made from botrytis-affected grapes and are hand-picked, berry by berry, through multiple passes in the vineyard.

This small region of Alsace, certainly not the most famous wine region in France, offers up a bounty of wine experiences as full and diverse as their rich culture.  Taste these Alsatian wines and your senses will be delighted by the fresh fruit and floral aromas, accompanied by perfumed richness and exotic spices. With warm weather approaching, these crisp refreshing wines from Alsace should surely be on your summer wine list.

Irene Scott, WSET-3 – Wine Education Chair

Refererences:

Wine Scholar Guild, French Wine Scholar Study Manual, 6th edition, ISBN 978-1-4835-8560-4

Robinsons, Janice.  “Alsace”.  https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/france/alsace

Wine Folly, “Alsace Wine Region: A Manual for Oenophiles”, Sept 12, 2019. https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/alsace-wine-region/

President Update 4/7/2020

Fellow members of the OCWS- These past few weeks have been difficult for just about everyone throughout the County, State and Nation.  As with other organizations we have been affected in both large and small ways.  Our office staff has been shifted to work remotely-Thank You Lynda and Rochelle!

We have had to accept many changes beyond our control.  The BOD and Committees have adapted to Webex meetings and alternate ways of doing our daily business.  Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding as we have had to make these necessary changes.

Many of our events have been canceled due to the distance and meeting size requirements imposed by the Governor, the Orange County Fair and Event Center (OCFEC) and County Health Agency.   These have all been done in an attempt to ensure the health and safety of our county and state.  As an organization we also wish to ensure the health and safety of our members.   Up and down the state California Wineries have been forced to close their doors and conduct online business.  The restrictions that are currently in place have forced us to face the reality that some of our signature events must be modified, postponed or cancelled.

The Commercial Competition Committee in Coordination with the OCFEC has with much regret been forced to cancel the OC FAIR COMMERCIAL WINE COMPETITION for 2020. The decision was difficult and painful to make. A separate but related decision for the OC FAIR Home Wine Competition was also made by the Home Wine Competition Committee and the OCFEC. We are very proud of these competitions and their recognition and support of California wineries, winemakers both commercial and non-commercial. Please continue to support California wineries through purchasing your favorite wines

At the April 6th BOD meeting it was unanimously approved to extend all memberships an additional 4 months.  We will continue to work on mitigations as necessary in the days ahead.

Regards,

Bill Redding

Eberle and ZD Featured Winery Programs Cancelled

Due to the concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wine Society has cancelled the last two events of the Featured Winery Program. This includes Eberle Winery which was scheduled to take place on April 17 and ZD Winery scheduled for May 8.

We will work to get both wineries rescheduled after this pandemic is over. Refunds will be made to those who signed up for the Eberle tasting.

– Rich Skoczylas, Director

Alcohol Server Training for The Courtyard: To Be Rescheduled

As many of you have heard, all TIPs classes scheduled in the Admin Bldg. have been cancelled due to the OCFEC abiding by the stay-in-place order. We are working on options as it will still be a requirement to be TIPs certified. By the time this issue is available, and the air has cleared a bit, we hope to have a Plan B in the works. Thank you for your patience, and continued support of the Wine Society.

– Rochelle Randel & Marcy Ott, 2020 OCWS Courtyard Committee

Commercial Wine Competition Volunteers Needed

The 2020 Competition has been cancelled due to Covid19.
We’ll be back in 2021 bigger and better.

Calling all volunteers! This year the 2020 Commercial Wine Competition will be held Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31 and volunteers are crucial to its success! Please note the date change this year and save the date! This event offers many opportunities to enjoy getting to know your fellow OCWS members and experience some great California wines.

There are many tasks where volunteer help is needed including stewarding, glass drying, and computer input and verification of scores. No training is necessary as newer volunteers will be teamed with experienced competition volunteers.

All volunteer signups are now done online! The volunteer site identifies bagging nights, stewarding days, and other work tasks with dates and times. In order to qualify for stewarding, you will need to sign up for two additional work tasks. We can offer bagging, hotel setup, and moving of wine to and from the competition site. In addition, volunteers can elect to work the sorting event in June. Sign-ups will open online on April 1, 2020 and will be open through April 30. An email announcement will be sent April 1 notifying members that sign-ups are open and provide instructions. Please make sure your email address is up-to-date in the ocws.org website as we will be using your email to send you confirmations.

If you have questions about volunteering, please email us at: Ken@ocws.org or Irene@ocws.org. We look forward to your participation in this very important event!

– Ken & Irene Scott, Volunteer Coordinators

Pinot Noir Mini-Tasting Wrap Up

Over 130 members and guests attended the February 22 Pinot Noir Mini-Tasting at eight host sites. The blind tasting included five flights of two wines each.  Each of the wines were Pinot Noirs, eight from California, one from Oregon, and one from France. Seven of the ten wines finished in the top three at one or more sites. The top two wines were each in the top three at six of the eight sites, and were nearly tied overall. The three favorite wines across all eight host sites are listed below:

Place Winery & Wine Name Year Price Description
1st Walt – La Brisa Vineyard, Sonoma County 2017 $36.99 Three first place, two seconds, and one third place finishes
2nd Bellante Reserve, Dierberg Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley 2016 $65.00 Two first place, three seconds, and one third place finishes
3rd Paul Hobbs, Russian River Valley 2017 $49.98 Two firsts, one second place, and two third place finishes

In addition, the attendees brought a delicious dish to share and then voted on a Chef of the Evening. The results of the Chef of the Evening at each host site are:

  • Hosts Frances & George Cravens: Linda Downey – “Roast Pork with Cranberries”
  • Host Robin McCormick: David Rutledge – “Grilled Salmon with Spice Rub”
  • Hosts Betty Jo & Jay Newell: Linda McLean – “Chicken Provencal”
  • Hosts Ebo & Mary Anne Neutz: Kevin Donnelly – “Glazed Ham”
  • Hosts Frank & Pat Solis: Eric & Carmen Kaines – “Pork Tenderloin”
  • Hosts Beverly Genis & Bob Topham: Kim & Sam Clark – “Lasagna”
  • Hosts Marcia & James Vaughan: Cheryl Bell – “Chocolate Cake”
  • Hosts Dave & Barbara White: Barbara White “Oven Braised Veal Stew with Black Peppers & Cherries”

Congratulations to all the winners, and a big thank you to the hosts!

– George Cravens, Director

Chris Cunningham Scholarship Endowment

The Board of Directors is very pleased to announce a scholarship endowment to Sonoma State University, in the name of Chris Cunningham. Chris, a treasured member of the OCWS, passed away in early 2018.

While working in the wine industry, Chris became highly respected by wine professionals and recognized for having an excellent palate.

Chris, along with many OCWS members, traveled often to the Russian River area, stopping by tasting rooms to meet the winemakers, discuss their harvest, and to sample their current vintages. Chris’ favorite varietals were Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage.

This fall, the Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute is launching a new transition program, the first of its kind in the region. The new joint program includes a collaboration with local winegrowers and students from Santa Rosa Junior College who earned their Associate’s Degree in Enology and Viticulture to be able to transfer to SSU to earn their Bachelor’s Degree combining a comprehensive knowledge of the wine business and production of wine. Beside students pursuing degrees in the field of Business, scholarships are awarded for first-hand experience in viticulture and enology to those working “in the fields” of vineyard agriculture and winemaking research.

At this time, any OCWS member considering donating funds to the Chris Cunningham Scholarship account may specify Sonoma State University on their check or donate directly to SSU in the name of Chris Cunningham—OCWS. This is a wonderful way for his friends and family to honor the legacy of Chris and acknowledge his generous contributions to the OCWS in supporting the region’s wine industry and help sustain the California wine industry and Chris’ memory.

Chris, we all raise our glasses to you for honoring us with your trust and thirst for wine appreciation for years to come. On behalf of Sonoma State University and the OCWS, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Cunningham Family. Cheers, Chris!

– Leslie Hodowanec, Scholarship Chair