On April 22, OCWS members and guests attended the April Mini-Tasting at four host sites. The blind tasting consisted of five flights of two wines each with wines from Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Santa Rita Hills, Dry Creek, Amador County, Australia’s Eden Valley and Barossa Valley. The tasting, in addition to Syrah, included two Petite Sirahs and two Shiraz from Australia. The top five favorite wines from the host sites were:
| Placement | Winery Name | Year | Price | Description |
| 1st | Macchia | 2015 | $25.00 | Petite Sirah, ‘Dubious’ OCWS Gold |
| 2nd | Halter Ranch | 2014 | $35.00 | Syrah, Adelaida District |
| 3rd | Ridge | 2014 | $35.00 | Petite Sirah, Lytton Estate, Dry Creek |
| 4th | EB Winery | 2014 | $31.00 | Syrah, Santa Barbara, OCWS Silver |
| 5th | McPrice Myers | 2013 | $20.00 | Syrah, ‘Right Hand Man’ Central Coast |
In addition, 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 were:
- Hosts Pat and Frank Solis — Eric Kalnes — Tri Tip
- Hosts Bob and Judy Koeblitz — Carolyn and Phil Wallace — Asparagus Wraps
- Host Linda Bauermeister — Linda Bauermeister — Lasagna
- Hosts Kern Vogel & Linda Martin — Bill Forsch & Noel DeSota — Billy’s Crying Tiger Rip with Cilantro Shrimp and Rice Noodles
Congratulations to all of the winners and a big “thank you” to the hosts! Please send your recipes to Bill Redding at Bill@ocws.org for posting on the OCWS website.
– Bill Redding, Director