by Fred Heinecke
As we approach the 50th annual Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition, the Home Wine Competition and The Courtyard at the Fair, time seems to be flying by.
The Commercial Competition is May 30 and 31 and the Home Wine Competition takes place June 6 at the fairgrounds. The fair, with “Your Adventure Awaits” theme, begins Friday July 17 and runs through August 16. I hope everyone takes some time to enjoy these special events that are the heartbeat of the Orange County Wine Society.
Here is some great news! The OCWS office has been in limbo since January when the fair opened their new administration building and asked us to move to the lot next to building 33, The Ranch. Our office trailer has been there for the past three months. In April, we got notice that we could move the office operations into a large space in building 33. After years in the temporary trailer, we now have a home in a permanent structure across the hall from our cataloguing room.
We have had a great winter season with some fantastic OCWS events. The fourth and last winery dinner of the season with Dry Creek at the Costa Mesa Hilton was April 10. Rich Skoczylas and CL Keedy put together a tasty and very interesting program of wineries this year with Graveyard in January, Trentadue and Miro in February and Macchia in March.
The spring Tiki-Luau social was a sold-out great success. Hats off and a wave of the surfboard to JoBeth Skaggs and Tricia Shelton and their crew who made the day a fun filled event at the Baja Bar & Grill. The Cooks Caucus prepared a truly delicious meal that fit the aloha theme perfectly. One of the highlights of the day was a solo performance of Tiny Bubbles by John Goodnight with his Hawaiian ukulele.
For May we have some more fun to have. On May 2, Don Mayer has the Mini-Tasting – A Tale of Two Sides: Exploring the Paso Robles Divide coming up. On Tuesday May 12, the Varietal Hour examines Small Producers and on May 26, Claret. You can sign up at OCWS.org.
Cheers!