Author: Wendy Taylor

Categories
Winery Industry

Committed to Quality By Greg Risling

Tucked in a business park off Alicia Parkway in Mission Viejo, Chuck and Sheri Bellante have established one of the most reputable and welcoming wineries in Orange County.

While it still may stun some residents that they can visit a top-flight winery just a few miles from their home, Bellante Family Winery has made a name for itself by producing a stupendous slate of age-worthy, single-vineyard wines that has netted 90+ scores for roughly 85 percent of their offerings.

“Watching wines develop over time is part of the satisfaction of making wine,” says proprietor Chuck Bellante. “They are like my newborn children. I can’t pick a favorite.”

Chuck has spent nearly the last quarter century making wine. Once a garagiste who partnered with others to explore the world of wine, he and Sheri decided to open a tasting room in 2017 as a way to move into retirement doing something they love.

The retired chemical engineer credits his job for his meticulous approach. He knew he wanted his grapes to come from Santa Barbara County that has east-west coastal mountains that form valleys and balance the climate to help nurture the fruit to its maximum potential.

“It’s kind of intuitive; I let the fruit talk to me,” Chuck says. “I have the science background to do what needs to be done. I taste it as it matures to see what more needs to be done.”

He also wanted to provide his clients solely with single vineyard varietals, giving them the opportunity to experience the terroir and the nuances of that particular location.

Chuck prides his wine being single vineyard and racking up top scores by the likes of Wine Enthusiast. His wines have consistently medaled at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

“Scores mean you are meeting a standard. You might not like the wine but it’s good from a technical standpoint,” he said.

His first vintage – circa 2000 – was a Syrah he calls “bullet-proof” because of the grape’s thick skin. Since then, Chuck has expanded his collection to Pinot Noir, Viognier, Grenache and Mourvedre.

As most wine aficionados know, making the very best wine is a blend of science and art. Chuck recounted a story during harvest one year when a fellow winemaker questioned why he hadn’t picked his fruit and was the last in the area to do so. Clearly, Chuck recalls, the winemaker thought it was too late and the end result would suffer. Waiting did just the opposite.

“I like to pick the fruit later. I’m not trying to be hip or cool,” Chuck said. “I just know what I’m trying to achieve. If everything tastes right, it’s time to pick.”

The winery also offers some unique options and events. First and foremost is their wine club where prospective members actually get to taste the wine before choosing which ones will be part of their allocation. Every month, the Bellantes host a tasting for the older library wines, giving clients the opportunity to sample the crème de la crème.

The winery claims to have the original wine bingo in Orange County. If you don’t have any plans on Halloween, there will be a murder mystery soiree for those novice sleuths. And a few days after Thanksgiving, the winery will host an exquisite lineup of delicious offerings by renowned chef Pascal Olhats.

All in all, Chuck and Sheri are enjoying the fruits of their labor and hope others have the opportunity to swing by and taste some hand-crafted, world-class wines from Santa Barbara County right here in Orange County.

“It’s about making a quality wine,” Chuck says. “The people who appreciate that – they are my kind of people.”

Categories
President's Message

President’s Message – Finding Purpose for Selfish Reason

As a three-time president of the OCWS, chair of The Courtyard for the past 12 years and now chair of the Commercial Wine Competition, among other things, one might think I am anything from passionate and committed to a workaholic to someone who should have her head examined. Although I am, in many ways, all of these things, the one description that comes to my mind is selfish.

Selfish because it makes me so happy to have been blessed with the opportunities this organization has afforded me.

I have been a member for 23 years, nine of which I have spent on the Board of Directors. I have crossed paths with hundreds of people I otherwise would never have met in life. I have laughed, cried, argued and worked side by side with the most amazing people from every walk of life, ages 20s through 90s; every race, religion, political affiliation and anything else you can think of; people whose hands and hearts I have had the pleasure and honor to hold and, in turn, they held mine. I have met people with whom I have spent only time volunteering with at OCWS events and people who have now become my dearest friends for, what I pray, is the rest of my life.

If the entire world could only be what this organization is—comprised of caring, loving, compassionate and dedicated people—the world would be a much kinder and happier place. This is what makes the OCWS a success. You, our members are what makes the OCWS a success in so many ways.

Although I am not going anywhere soon (that I am aware of!), my presidency is coming to an end and this is my chance to be selfish again and stand on a soapbox to express my heartfelt love and sincere appreciation for the wine society, all of you, and the opportunity to be so very fulfilled and happy.

THANK YOU for all your support and your confidence in me. And, please, don’t ever forget, I selfishly still love hugs.

—Fran Gitsham

Categories
Recipes

Chef of the Evening

After Janet Riordan tried this Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tart at her women’s group dinner, she just had to share it with OCWS members at the last Mini-Tasting.

“I loved it immediately (I mean really, chocolate crust with a chocolate filling, toss in pistachios, damn, yum),” says Janet, a 20-year member. “I enjoy baking and always try to include new recipes.”

While this version calls for safflower oil, Janet substituted cannoli oil for its taste. When it comes to the chocolate, Janet uses Dove milk chocolate candies. She also notes that she made the tart the day before serving and it was just as fresh and delicious.

Milk Chocolate Pistachio Tart

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray for pan

Crust:

¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped

¼ tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Pistachio Paste:

½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. safflower oil

Filling:

5 oz. milk chocolate, chopped

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

Garnish:

Finely chopped pistachios

Directions

Crust:

COAT 9-inch fluted round tart pan with removeable bottom with cooking spray. Make the crust

WHISK together flour cocoa powder, chopped pistachios and ¼ tsp. salt.

BEAT butter on medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes.

ADD sugar and beat until pale, about two minutes. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla, then flour mixture until just combined and dough holds together when pressed between two fingers.

PRESS dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

ROLL out dough between two pieces of clear plastic wrap to create an 11-inch round, ¼-inch thick piece.

PRESS dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan. Trim excess dough flush with edges of pan using knife.

REFRIGERATE until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees.

BAKE until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely; reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Pistachio Paste:

PULSE pistachios, sugar and ¼ tsp. salt in food processor until mixture begins to clump together.

ADD oil and pulse until smooth and paste-like.

SPREAD evenly into bottom of cooled tart shell, pressing firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup until flat and smooth.

Filling:

PLACE chocolate in heatproof bowl. Heat cream and milk in saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling; pour over chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes.

WHISK slowly until smooth. Let cool 10 minutes.

STIR in eggs until combined.

PLACE tart shell on baking sheet and pour in filling.

BAKE until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool.

GARNISH with finely chopped pistachios.

Categories
Courtyard

The Courtyard Tear-Down Dream Team

It was worth scrubbing, lifting, sweeping, stringing, hanging, moving around, setting up and tearing down to prepare for our largest OCWS scholarship-generating event at the OC Fair! The Setup and Teardown Crew was composed of 73 volunteers over 4 1/2 days for a total of 438 volunteer hours.

Thank you so much to our team for volunteering trucks and transportation, climbing up the ladders, crawling underneath spaces and setting up lunches and for all your extra talents. Now, The Courtyard has little wall space left to use. There are always minor glitches and it’s an obstacle course driving across the fairground to the containers the morning after. Plus, your ideas this year increased efficiency and The Courtyard Crew is already taking notes for setting up for the 2024 OC Fair.

—Leslie Hodowanec, 2023 Courtyard Coordinator

Categories
Membership

New Member Mixer

Learn more about wine society The 2023 OC Fair Wine Courtyard volunteers had a wonderful impact that led to a very large increase in our new member memberships. They made it happen—thank you volunteers! We are planning to celebrate new members by inviting them to a free event. At this OCWS event new members can […]

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Categories
BOD Election

Get involved—Run for OCWS Board of Directors

It is that time of the year and it is all in Article 4 of the bylaws – the procedure for election of the Orange County Wine Society (OCWS) Board of Directors!

The organization is run by a nine-member Board of Directors. Intelligent, innovative, open minded, problem-solving and result-oriented people are the key to the leadership of the group. Many of our members have these skills, so it is time to consider stepping up to help lead the way. If you know the organization; are a seasoned volunteer; and are dedicated to its purpose and objective of promoting the knowledge of winemaking, viticulture and wine appreciation, then you may be a suitable candidate to take a lead position.

The beginning of a three-year term on the Board of Directors shall be staggered such that three members’ terms expire each year. The three vacated positions are filled by a vote of the OCWS membership, following the Annual Business Meeting that will be held Sept. 8, 2023. The overall time commitment for a member of the board varies and is based upon assignments and participation. In addition to running the business of the organization, the goal of the board is for members to run OCWS programming, with the board acting as mentors and liaisons regarding budgets and event planning. Also, the board functions as an oversight committee, focusing on compliance with the bylaws, OC Fair compliance, liability exposure, etc. A candidate, ideally, should possess some of the following skills:

  • General knowledge of the OCWS events and activities
  • Prior experience as a volunteer
  • The ability and time to help organize events throughout the year
  • Selected event and budget management skills
  • Be a member in good standing

To declare candidacy for a position on the Board of Directors, a candidate must present a Declaration of Candidacy, in writing, by mail, or via electronic media to the Election Chair no later than 14 calendar days prior to the scheduled Annual Business Meeting. A written Statement of Qualifications is required to be presented to the Election Committee no later than five calendar days after receipt by the Election Chair of a Declaration of Candidacy. Statements of Candidacy will be posted on the OCWS website. During the Annual Business Meeting, declared candidates will have an opportunity to address the membership.

The OCWS continues to thrive thanks in great part to the leadership of the organization over the last 48 years. If helping to take the helm of this amazing group is of interest to you, please submit your Declaration of Candidacy and Statement of Qualifications to Election Chair Sara Yeoman at Sara@ocws.org.  For any questions related to Director Responsibilities, the election process or anything else, please contact OCWS Director Linda Flemins at LindaF@ocws.org.

—Linda Flemins, OCWS Director

Categories
Courtyard

OC Fair Roundup – Happy Serving Together At 2023 OC Fair

It seems like the five weeks at the OC Fair flew by.  Leslie Hodowanec waived her magic wand and the set-up crew started right after July 4th. By Friday July 14, it looked like Cinderella’s carriage.

The wine started to flow at The Courtyard opening and the volunteers kept pouring until the clock struck 10 p.m. on Aug. 13. By the next day, The Courtyard was returned to the loveable pumpkin.

The final accounting is not yet completed, but the summer of 2023 came to be another very successful year by any measure. One metric that takes the forefront is new memberships.

Patrons see OCWS members having a great time at The Courtyard and want to get in on the fun. The new member bell rang 144 times during the fair for 108 dual and 36 single memberships for a total of 252 new Orange County Wine Society members!

The Courtyard is our largest fundraiser of the year and cannot be successful without volunteers. This summer 235 members volunteered and worked a total of 1,440 shifts. Together they filled over 30,000 8-ounce cups!

Liz and Lloyd Corbett worked each Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Featured Winery Bar and added over $16,000 to the Scholarship Fund. The donation jars brought in an additional $17,000. This should be celebrated with Sparkling Splits, of which we sold 3,645.

Bill Redding and Kevin Coy kept the cellar full. We sold 1,906 of Cuvee Coy house wines. Sara Yeoman and Ed Reyes headed up the very popular Saturday and Sunday wine seminars.

Thank you to each member who volunteered during the run of the Happy Together year at the fair. Giving new meaning to, “will work for wine,” members used 3,654 wine tickets!

I want to give a special note to Courtney, who worked 32 shifts; Kevin Lite, who worked 28; Kelly Haggard, who worked 20; and Kevin Coy, who worked 20.

I want to express my gratitude to Co-Chair Fran Gitsham. Fran brings an extraordinary amount of institutional knowledge and worked tirelessly to coordinate with the fair and keep all the pieces in place from the planning through the operation of The Courtyard.

See you at The Courtyard next summer!

—Fred Heinecke, OCWS Director

Categories
Members Corner

Scholarship Winners: Where Are They Now?

Grit & Grace

Much like a wine can evolve over time, so has wine consultant Tymari LoRe’s appreciation for the industry and the imprint she is leaving on the Santa Ynez Valley.

LoRe grew up in Orange County – shout out to Cypress – and her first interaction with wine was working for her uncle at a winery. There she learned how wine serves as a conduit to uniting us.

“My favorite part of the industry is that it brings people together from all walks of life,” she said. “Wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed by people and fosters camaraderie.”

LoRe attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she double majored in enology and wine business. She received a scholarship from the Orange County Wine Society that allowed her to buy the necessary books to continue her studies.

Along the way, she landed three internships that provided her the tools for winemaking. LoRe traveled to Europe where she studied winemaking for seven to eight months before finding herself in Santa Barbara County.

She became associate winemaker at Kita Wines, which was run by Tara Gomez, the first Native American winemaker recognized by the California Legislature.

“It was really a cool combination of spirituality and the winemaking portion that flowed very well together,” LoRe said.

She also cut her teeth at Folded Hill Winery, owned by Kim and Andrew Busch – yes, those Buschs of Budweiser fame. LoRe was part of the winery’s management and spent about five years before she found her true calling of helping smaller wineries find their niche in the market.

“I had this love of seeing these brands launch and I felt there was a lack of that space in the industry,” LoRe said.

She started LoRe Consulting Group in 2021 and provides a host of services from designing and laying out an actual winery to creating business models that optimizes sales and forecasts income.

Tymari LoRe helps start-up wineries create their own business plan through her consulting firm based in Santa Barbara County

“What I’ve found by mistake is that wineries don’t have a plan. If you don’t know how to stand out, you will ultimately get lost in the fray,” LoRe said. “I want to make sure they don’t fall into a hole.”

She strives to get as much knowledge about what a winemaker wants and she believes each of her clients should have a unique story and niche. One of her main challenges is connecting the dots – or grapes – to help a winery push their brand forward and upward for maximum exposure.

LoRe has found a home in Santa Barbara County, which she says has the highest number of women in the wine industry across California. She says the region is finally getting the recognition it deserves and is not just a pit stop for those traveling to Paso Robles.

She hopes that her experience and knowledge will boost the profile and the margins of smaller wineries that will benefit not only her and the winemaker but the public as well.

“Being able to work with people who I felt didn’t get the right opportunity to showcase their strengths is very rewarding,” she said. “I want to see them grow and evolve and I’m there to help them get to that point.”

Greg Risling

Categories
Education

Pairing Wine Education and Fun Since 1978

In my nearly 40 years in the wine industry, and 37 years with the Orange County Wine Society, I have seen many changes in the industry and with our organization. Some members say we are a social club that gets together to drink wine, while others point to our educational contribution to the wine industry with our competitions, educational wine events and scholarship donations. I say these are not mutually exclusive categories and the OCWS has been pairing wine education and fun since 1978. And we do it well!

When I first joined the organization in my early 20s, I looked up to the experienced members who ran amazing wine events throughout the year such as the monthly winery programs, the wine competitions and the OCWS “booths” at the OC Fair. The main location was at the end of our old trailer, and the second location was upstairs in the corner of the Flower and Garden building.

Making Connections

At the Commercial Competition, we had fewer varietal categories, significantly less wine to move and lots of strong young members to move it. It was at these events that I first met winemakers like Carol Shelton, Kent Rosenblum, Jerry Lohr, Gary Eberle, Dave Cofrane and Jim Prager, to name a few, and learned more about the exploding California wine industry. We have lost many of our beloved founding members and winemaker friends over the years but our organization remains strong with younger generations and winemakers joining us in our mission.

Wine Extraordinaire

Between the 1980s and early 2000s, OCWS was the star of the wine universe in the OC, hosting mega-tastings called the Wine Extraordinaire (boutique wineries) and the Wine Classic (winners from the competition). Hundreds of people would flock to the Anaheim Hilton to taste varietals from more than 100 wineries and 20 to 30 local restaurants. We had to rent one of the largest ballrooms in the county just to accommodate the size of the event.

These were amazing tastings with more wines than one could taste in a day… although many people gave it their best shot! Alas, the word got out that wine tasting was a great way to raise money and many organizations started using the wine-tasting format to support their efforts. I have yet to see a wine tasting in the OC since that has had that number of wineries but with so many great causes competing with us in the wine-tasting arena, we no longer hold these events. The last Wine Extraordinaire was in 2015.

Tasting on the Road

In addition to hosting local events, OCWS members have traveled the state by car or bus and the globe by cruise ship with organized trips and tastings over the years. Sometimes we’ve had 50 to 100 people going to wineries at the same time or over the same weekend.

I can recall one trip to Sonoma during barrel tasting weekend where one of our members discovered a new winery that had just opened its doors that weekend. The breakfast room was abuzz the next morning as members shared their notes from great finds the day before. By the end of the weekend, most of us had visited that new winery and joined their wine club.

One of the things I love about this organization is its support for the smaller wineries as well as the large wineries.

OCWS Successes

OCWS has so much to be proud of as an organization, from celebrating our 47th year hosting the OC Fair wine competitions to donating over $780,000 in scholarships to eight California colleges and universities. Most recently, we instituted the Limited Production Winery Program for our competition to help smaller wineries enter the competition and be recognized.

Our efforts reach the public during the OC Fair through our educational and fun programming with tastings of award-winning wines to featured winery programs where the public get to meet the winemakers in person to the popular wine seminars that take a deeper dive into a particular type of wine or wine and food pairings.

Since its inception, OCWS has grown significantly. As long as I can remember, we have been hovering around 1,000 members, but the organization started with just a small group of home winemakers in the early 1970s. While many nonprofit organizations suffered greatly during the pandemic, OCWS tightened its financial belt, paused membership dues and temporarily moved their educational content online. We weathered the storm and now have over 1,000 members going into this year’s OC Fair, our biggest recruitment time, so we are on track to grow to our largest membership by August.

Getting Involved

As an all-volunteer member organization, we rely on our members to put on amazing events and spread the word about our organization. I highly recommend becoming an OCWS ambassador by letting wineries know you are a society member when you visit them, taking photos of our ribbons and medals at the wineries and posting them on social media, supporting them by purchasing wine and promoting all that our organization does.

There are so many ways to get involved from volunteering at events or for work parties, volunteering for a committee or just attending one of our many events! It is through our amazing membership that we have been able to thrive over the past 45 years. It is through our members that we have been successful in pairing wine education and fun since 1978!

—Carolyn Christian, OCWS Vice President and Historian

Categories
Recipes

Chef of the Evening

Dino Amico credits his mom for this version of Venetian Mac and Cheese served at a recent Mini-Tasting.

“My passion is to cook for crowds and that is usually weekends; I like to heighten our experience with wine and food and put a satisfying feeling in our bellies,” Dino says. “In the end, I just want all guests to be happy and joyful.”

Dino likes to mix up the cheeses to provide different flavors to the traditional all-Italian, so he’ll venture into German or American cheese flavors.

Venetian Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

12 oz. wide egg noodles

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup (packed) grated fontina cheese

3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup (grated) mozzarella cheese

4 oz. cooked boiled ham, diced (optional)

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

PREHEAT oven to 450 degrees. Butter 9”x13”x2” glass baking dish.

COOK noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well (do not rinse).

WHISK milk, cream, flour, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend.

STIR the in 1 cup of the fontina, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the ham and parsley.

ADD the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer noodle mixture to prepared baking dish.

COMBINE remaining 1 cup of fontina, ¼ cup of Parmesan and ¼ cup of mozzarella in small bowl; toss to blend.

SPRINKLE cheese mixture over noodle mixture.

BAKE until sauce bubbles and cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Congratulations to all of the winners and a big thank you to the hosts. Please send your recipes to George Cravens at george@ocws.org for possible publication on the OCWS website.