Invest your time, help out & be rewarded
When I was new to the wine society, I remember attending events, having fun, meeting people, and never having a second thought as to how it all happens. I suppose most new members are the same way. We all join the OCWS to meet like-minded people who are interested in wine. We’re here to have fun and make new friends. Even when I started volunteering at the Home Wine or Commercial Wine competitions, I just showed up on event day, did my small part and went home. I never really thought too much about how it all came together.
But something in me changed the second or third year. I volunteered at the Home Wine Competition and was a steward that year and had arrived early on competition day. I took some time to look around while things were still fairly quiet. I saw how the judges’ tables were set up and the stewards’ area was ready for us. I saw how the various volunteer areas were organized. I saw the Cook’s Caucus preparing breakfast for everyone.
Midway through the event I took a good look around and saw everyone doing their tasks and how smoothly the competition was running. And then it all hit me. Someone had to set up all these tables, organize all this wine, organize all the food. SOMEONE had to get all these volunteers and organize this whole competition! There was obviously a LOT of work and planning that went into this event long before I showed up that day.
Who did all this? How did this all happen? The light bulb had flashed in my head! I like to know how things work. That’s when I wanted to learn how the Winemakers Group and the Wine Society as a whole works. Most importantly, I asked how I could help.
I ran for and was elected to the board of directors. I helped to organize and run big events. I volunteered to help with other events too, both “behind the scenes” and on event day. This is right up my alley as I get a lot of satisfaction from planning a party or an event and seeing it successfully come to fruition.
Over the years, I’ve found it takes a lot of people doing many different things, large and small, to make the organization work. I’ve also discovered that I develop closer friendships with wine society members when I volunteer for events rather than simply attend them. There’s something about the bonds created among everyone when we all work as a team toward a common goal.
The Winemakers Group is a microcosm of the OCWS and it also takes many people to make it run. We need your help in many areas:
- Organizing and staffing key areas of the 2025 Home Wine Competition
- Hosting our quarterly winemakers’ potlucks
- Running our annual group bottle purchase
- Hosting or assisting smaller, non-potluck wine education events
- Ideas for new events
If you’ve ever had that “light bulb” moment and want to get involved, with any task large or small, we can use your help. Even if you’re just interested in how the group or the competition runs, we’ll be glad to show you. All you have to do is ask. You may even make some new friends in the process.
Cheers!
—Ed Reyes, ed@ocws.org