By Carolyn Christian

Here we are in June, and it is difficult to believe that 2024 is nearly halfway over. This means that we are in the throes of our busy season!

Our unique relationship with the OC Fair and Event Center provides us the opportunity to host two amazing wine competitions—the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition and the OC Fair Home Wine Competition. These events helped launch our organization back in the mid-1970s, and they are what make us the organization we are today!

This year marks the 48^th annual event for both! We could not possibly put on these events without the amazing volunteers that form the membership and foundation of our organization. It makes me incredibly proud to see the level of commitment from so many people. What takes months and thousands of hours to put together has become a well-oiled machine. My personal thanks to Fran Gitsham and Kevin Donnelly for leading the incredible teams that are making these events happen this year.

On the heels of the competitions, The Courtyard is ramping up for another amazing season of wine tasting, wine by the glass, featured wineries and seminars at the OC Fair. This is another instance of hundreds of people coming together to make something so vast seem effortless. The Courtyard is an event that many mark as their anniversary as members of the OCWS, having joined from “the other side of the counter” after a wonderful experience tasting wine and realizing that the OCWS seemed like a great group to join.

The OC Fair is our main recruiting time and last year we brought in over 250 new members. These new members are already getting involved in events and committees. I would be remiss in not mentioning that Fred Heinecke and Fran Gitsham head the team that makes The Courtyard happen.

As part of our educational mission, we provide events to help those who want to learn to make wine. Don’t miss the Kit Wine Class this month. Along with our traditions, we are trying to add new events as the opportunities arise. Don’t miss this month’s new events – the Wine Defect Identification Workshop and the OCWS Outing with Vinos Unidos (see this issue for more details).

We are approaching our 50^th Anniversary in 2026. In preparation for this momentous occasion, we are putting together articles on the history of the OCWS (see Hank Bruce’s article in this issue) and gathering historical information to assemble a comprehensive history of the organization. The OCWS History Committee will be hosting a series of luncheons for our “Vintage Members” to gather historical information.

Each meeting will include members, starting with the longest standing members and moving forward in time. Our first luncheon was a huge success and included original members like Judi Brady and Jane Goodnight. With such a rich history, we have much work ahead of us to gather the untold stories of our organization. In addition to the luncheons, we will have several ways in which you can share your stories with us.

As we move into the summer and our busiest time of the year, let me just say how truly lucky we are to have such great volunteers that help make this organization what it is – a vibrant and resilient group of over 1,000 members, all at a different stage in their wine enthusiast journey, working together to make things happen. We have truly been “Pairing Wine Education and Fun Since 1976!”

Cheers to you all!