by Carolyn Christian
“Good company, good wine, good welcome can make good people…” William Shakespeare, Henry VIII
It is hard to believe that December is upon us, and the cycle of OCWS activities begins once again. It has been and continues to be a great honor for me to lead this organization that has been around for nearly half a century!
2024
Flagship Events
This past year has been an amazing testament to the resiliency of this organization, with over 2,500 entries in the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, and over 520 entries in the OC Fair Home Wine Competition. The Wine Auction and Wine Courtyard at the OC Fair were huge successes, bringing in funds that allow us to support our educational programming throughout the year. We continue to hover at 1,000 members, making us one of the largest wine enthusiast groups in the nation.
Volunteers
Our organization relies on volunteers to run our events, and we had over a third of our membership volunteer at one or more events during the year. This year we hosted an amazingly successful Volunteer Recognition Reception with over 200 recipients recognized for volunteering 20 hours or more since September 2023. We hope to make this an annual tradition for the organization.
Tax Donations and Holiday Gifts
As the year closes, I remind you that OCWS is a nonprofit organization, and your donation to our scholarship program is tax deductible (please confirm your eligibility with your tax preparer). An article from our Scholarship Chair in this issue outlines the ways in which you can donate. I would also like to remind you that we offer Gift Memberships to the OCWS on our website in the store: ocws.org/merchandise. An OCWS Membership and bottle of wine are a great gift for family and friends! Not sure what bottle to get someone? Check out the award-winning wines from our own competition at WineCompetition.com. You can search for a wine by varietal, region, price, and medal.
Verifying Account Information
The end of the year is also a great time to logon to your OCWS Account and make sure we have your current information (email, co-member contact information, address, phone, etc.). Logon at ocws.org. If you have any issues, please contact our office staff for assistance office@ocws.org or (714) 708-1636,
Advocating for 2025 Wine Competition Today!
As we ramp up for the 2025 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, I encourage you all to help serve as ambassadors to our amazing competition. As you probably have heard, the wine industry is seeing a decline in sales. Please remind your wine clubs that entering our wine competition gets them direct exposure to the Southern California wine market through the OC Fair. To help with these efforts, we have launched OCWineCompetition.com where wineries can learn about the benefits of our competition and start their entry for 2025. Entries are being accepted NOW through May 16, 2025. We also have colorful brochures available at the OCWS Office (and at all event sign-in tables) for you to pick up and take to wineries as you visit them throughout the year.
2025
In the coming year, we have many exciting events in store for our members.
- Bubbles ‘n’ Brunch / Dine with Wine
- Featured Winery Program
- Mini-Tastings
- New Member Mixers
- Outings at local wineries
- Spring and Falls Socials
- Varietal Hours
- Vintage Member Luncheons
- Volunteer Recognition Reception
- Wine Defect Identification Workshop
- Wine Auction
- Wine Seminars
- Winemaker Classes
- Winemaker Quarterly Potlucks
- Winery Programs
- And more… (look for some new OCWS events soon!)
We also have several exclusive volunteer opportunities that are both fun and educational.
- Wine Auction
- OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition
- OC Fair Home Wine Competition
- Wine Courtyard at the OC Fair
- All Events (Setup, Check-in, Serving, Cleanup, etc.)
For more information on the ongoing events that we host throughout the year, please refer to: ocws.ws/yearataglance.
I encourage you all to reach out to the various event chairs and become more involved as a volunteer. A list of those responsible for each event can be found on our website: ocws.org/about-us/director-responsibilities. Look for more information from us on how to get more involved in the next few months as well.
The blending of people and wine has made this organization a success over the past 48 years! This holiday season, I encourage you to share your love of wine with friends and family. Wine is the magic that brings us together to share meaningful experiences.
Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season. Cheers to all!