Volunteers Needed for Home Wine Competition
The 50th annual OC Fair Home Wine Competition will be held on Saturday, June 6 at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. This is one of the largest home wine competitions in California.
The competition is a one-day event and runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. All volunteers will be treated to a hot breakfast and lunch, courtesy of the OCWS Cook’s Caucus. You will also get the opportunity to taste many of the award-winning wines after the judging is complete. If you’ve never tasted homemade wines, you may be surprised at the quality and craftmanship of the award winners.
The competition is organized and sponsored by the OCWS Winemakers Group. It is run entirely by volunteers from the OCWS. We need your help in many areas to make it successful.
Wine Judges
If you’ve ever wanted to be a wine judge, here’s your chance. The average OCWS member knows a lot about wine, probably more than they give themselves credit for. Put that knowledge to good use by being a judge in this year’s competition.
Prior to the competition you get to request the varietal you want to judge. On competition day judging is done in panels of three to four people, all tasting the same wines. Each panel evaluates between 25 to 30 wines over a 3 to 3 ½-hour period. Everyone is encouraged to talk about the wines they’re evaluating. New judges are matched with experienced judges so there’s help available throughout the event.
New judges are encouraged to attend a training seminar held a few weeks prior to the competition. The Winemakers Group conducts the seminar which also serves as a refresher course for experienced judges. The training is free and refreshments will be served. It’s not difficult and it provides the necessary skills to be a competition wine judge
If the idea of being a wine judge appeals to you please contact our Judging Chairman, John Lane john@OCWS.org for more information.
Competition Day Volunteers
Volunteer positions include registration, stewards, data entry/scoring, food service, glass cleanup. There will be a brief orientation before the competition begins to familiarize everyone with their positions. No experience is needed and new volunteers will be paired with competition veterans. It’s a fun day and a great way to meet and mingle with your fellow OCWS members. Sign up today using the volunteer form on the OCWS website or use this link https://ocws.org/home-wine-competition/
For questions about volunteering contact Volunteer Coordinator, Cheryl Knapp cknapp@jps.net
For questions about the event contact Event Chairman, Kevin Donnelly kevindonnelly@ocws.org
Cheers,
—Ed Reyes, ed@OCWS.org
The OC Fair Home Wine Competition is Saturday, June 6 at the OC Fair and Event Center. To learn more about serving as a judge for the competition, contact John Lane at John@OCWS.org.