Author: Wendy Taylor

Categories
History

A Brief History of the Commercial Competition

By Hank Bruce

OCWS History Committee

Did you know the Orange County Wine Society was officially incorporated on June 8, 1976 through the efforts of Brant Horton and eighteen other local wine enthusiasts?

It all started in May 1976 when Brant Horton, an Orange County wine retailer in Tustin, formulated a plan to host a professional competition of California wines. Each year only certain varietals would be judged. Those varietals were organized into three price categories. All wines would have to be commercially available in Orange County, and all wines within the selected varietal would be judged, whether they were donated or purchased. The judges would either be commercial winemakers or winery principals.

The first annual Commercial Wine Competition was held on July 10, 1977 at the South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, California, with the support of the Orange County Fair and hosted by the OCWS. A total of 92 individual wines (59 Chenin Blancs and 23 Gamay Beaujolais) were rated by 18 judges. In 1986, the 10th anniversary of the Commercial Wine Competition, Jerry Mead, founding member and syndicated wine columnist in more than a dozen newspapers, headed the expected panel of 76 judges, who evaluated over 2,600 wines at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.

The initial three-day Commercial Wine Competition was reduced to two days in 1990 and entries stabilized at 2,400 with about 50 varietals and styles of wine. The host hotel has changed several times through the years to include the Disneyland Hotel, the Anaheim Marriott and the Red Lion (now called  the Costa Mesa Hilton), where it has been held for over the past 30 years, except for 2020, when due to the pandemic, the 44th Commercial Competition was not held.

The Commercial Competition is a nine-month, major effort requiring about 6,000 volunteer hours and about 200 volunteers. The volunteers make invitation phone calls; physically receive, catalog and input wine entries into a database; steward wines; run a commercial dishwasher; dry glasses; direct traffic; verify scores; input data entries; compile results; coordinate judges’ food, etc., etc.

Our Commercial Wine Competition is the largest of its kind in the world and the second largest wine competition overall in California. In the 47 years of competition, there have been over 460 judges for a combined total of 3,326 years of experience. A renowned list of judges and their associated wineries have kept the competition at the top of its game and made the competition one of the most widely revered competitions of California wines anywhere. Let us not forget, it is our volunteers who keep this huge event running (pun intended).

 

Categories
Recipes

Death by Chocolate Trifle

Brownies

  • 1 (18.4 ounce) package brownie mix (such as Betty Crocker)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons water

Chocolate Pudding

  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 (3.9 oz.) packages instant chocolate pudding mix

To Assemble

  • 3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered
  • English toffee
  • 1 (16 oz.) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions

  • PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • GREASE 9×13-inch baking pan.
  • MAKE the brownies:
    • COMBINE brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water in a large bowl.
    • MIX with a wooden spoon until well blended.
    • SPREAD into the prepared baking pan.
    • BAKE in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the side of the pan comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
    • Let COOL completely.

Prepare the pudding

  • WHISK milk and pudding mix together in a large bowl until smooth; set aside.
  • To assemble:
    • CRUMBLE 1/2 of the brownies on the bottom of a glass punch bowl; spoon 1/2 of the pudding on top.
    • CRUSH 1 toffee bar over pudding and top with 1/2 of the whipped topping.
    • REPEAT layers in the same order, then refrigerate until ready to serve, saving the last toffee bar to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving.
Categories
Mini Tastings

Mini-Tasting Results

April 2024 Pinot across California Mini-Tasting Results:

The April Mini-Tasting was held at seven sites throughout the county, with 113 people enjoying 10 wines in a blind tasting. The attendees each contributed a dish, each site voted for their favorite dish and the chef was awarded a bottle of wine as Chef of the Evening.

The wines were served in five blind flights of two wines each and the attendees judged each wine, voted for their favorites and tried to determine the region of California where the grapes were raised. Each of the 10 wines placed in the top three or four at one or more sites and the top two wines did very well at five of the seven sites.

All 10 of the wines finished in the top four at one or more of the sites, with the top two wines finishing in the top four at six of the seven sites. The top three were all California wines, but the fourth and fifth favorites were from Italy and Spain.

The overall winner was Cuvaison Estate’s Cuvaison Pinot Noir from Carneros. It got first place at two sites and second place at three more sites. Second place overall was Black Kite from Kite’s Rest Vineyard in Mendocino. It got first place at three sites and fourth place at two more.  Third overall was Amici Pinot Noir from Amici Cellars in the Russian River Valley.

The three favorite wines across the seven host sites:

Place Wine & Winery YR PRICE DESCRIPTION
1st Cuvaison Estate

Cuvaison

 

Caneros, CA

 

92 points

Wine Enthusiast

 2021 $38.99 Effusive cherry and raspberry aromas are followed by warm, broad strawberry and cinnamon flavors in this full-bodied, smooth and generous wine.
2nd Kite’s Rest Vineyard

 

Black Kite

 

Mendocino, CA

 

94 points

Wine Enthusiast

 2016 $49.99 Good balance and a plethora of juicy, ripe fruit flavors highlight this full-bodied wine.  It has generous black cherry and light baking-spice aromas, plenty of cherry and sour cherry in the flavors and a moderately tannic texture livened by good acidity.
3rd Amici Cellars

 

Russian River Valley, CA

 

93 points

James Suckling

 2021 $39.99 Rich aromas of cranberry, black cherry and baking spice meld with flavors of lively red fruits and hints of cherry cola. This polished Pinot Noir offers silky tannins and precise acidity that add complexity to the long finish.

 

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 are:

  • Hosts Chris & Hank Bruce:

Pam Carter — Beef Enchiladas

 Hosts Carolyn & Damian Christian:

Mary Ann & Don Mayer — Death by Chocolate

 Hosts Mike Del Medico:

Rich Skoczylas — Paella

  • Host Julie Good:

Jim Kerins — Cherrywood Smoked Salmon

  • Hosts Christy & Robert Hall:

Greg Brett — Neapolitan

 Hosts Steve & Kim Rizzuto:

          George Cravens — Pork Loin with Cherry Chutney

 Hosts Pat & Frank Solis

          Tie –

Eric & Carmen Kaines — Filipino Pork Adobo

Jim Burk — Kumquat Cheesecake

Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to the hosts!

—George Cravens, OCWS Director

Categories
Members Corner

OCWS Scholarship Program: Spotlight on Orange Coast College

OCWS funds scholarships for eight California Colleges and Universities, including the culinary arts program at Orange Coast College. OCC is one of the few programs not focused on enology or viticulture but on culinary arts.  Students at OCC can obtain an associate’s degree in culinary arts and various occupational certificates. The. school typical has several hundred students enrolled in the various programs. Just recently, OCC added a wine component to their culinary arts program.

In May, I had the good fortune to attend the 66th annual OCC Honors Night Scholarship Ceremony and award OCWS scholarships to seven very deserving students. Over 300 scholarships were given to nearly 500 students.  The recipients for the OCWS Scholarships at OCC are:

  • Khoa M. To
  • Man-in Chao
  • Jasmine Tre Dagley
  • Morgan E. Downie
  • Blanca Michelle Granados
  • Shannon Michelle White
  • Madeline X. Ngyuen

Next month we will be highlighting another one of the colleges/universities supported by the OCWS scholarship fund. Just a friendly reminder there is always time to donate to the OCWS Scholarship Fund for 2024.  There are two ways to donate:

  1. Mail a check – Make your check out to OCWS and mail it to the OCWS office at OCWS O. Box 11059  Costa Mesa, CA 92627  Attn: Scholarship Fund  A donation letter will be sent to you.
  2. Donate Online – Logon to your account at ocws.org and go to the scholarship donation page: ocws.org/product/scholarship-donations/ You can make your donation online and print a receipt for tax purposes at the same time.

—Damian J. Christian, Scholarship Chair

 

Categories
Members Corner

Wine Wisdom

The ABC’s of Chardonnay

1. In what decade did Chardonnay suffer criticism leading to the ABC acronym, Anything But Chardonnay?

A.  1970s

B.  1980s

C.  1990s

2. Chardonnay has suffered criticism as a consequence of winemakers:

A.  using new oak and malolactic fermentation (MLF)

B.  using charred barrels for aging

C.  using malolactic fermentation (MLF)

3. The use of malolactic fermentation (MLF) to produce Chardonnay results in:

A.  A creamy flavor

B.  A buttery flavor

C.  Both a creamy and buttery flavor

4. Chardonnay wine can be a wine for all white wine lovers because this ubiquitous grape can provide any style of wine from dry still wines to sparkling wines to sweet late harvest wines.

A.  True

B.  False

5. The Chardonnay grape is a vitis vinifera cross of Pinot Noir and a Croatian grape that was brought to France by the Romans. The two grapes were planted in close proximity and subsequently interbred. What was the name of this Croatian grape?

A.  Gouais Blanc

B.  Glera

C.  Garganega

6. Grown in France, where did Chardonnay originate?

A. Chablis

B. Burgundy

C. Champagne

7.  A favorite with winemakers, the Chardonnay grape is easily cultivated, adapts to different environments and takes on the characteristics of its vineyard, making the grape easy to demonstrate and express the terroir and the winemaker’s style.

A. True

B. False

8. One of the best-known uses of the Chardonnay grape is:

A. Serving it to a first date

B. Using it in the making of sparkling wine

C. Eating it to provide digestive fiber

9.  In Italy, Chardonnay is used to make a sparkling wine called Franciacorta in which Italian Region?

A. Tuscany

B. Lombardy

C. Veneto

10.  In Italy, the Chardonnay grape is allowed in the making of Prosecco in what region?

A. Tuscany

B. Veneto

C. Umbria

11.  Chardonnay’s acidity accompanied by its other moderate, neutral characteristics seem to make it a favorite for sparkling wines. In Spain, Chardonnay is allowed to be blended in:

A. Roja

B. Cava

C. Sherry

Chardonnay—it’s dry, it’s sweet, it’s oaky, it’s buttery, it’s fruity, it’s complex, it’s acidic, it’s minerally, it’s sparkling. It gives a whole new meaning to anything but Chardonnay because it is anything BUT Chardonnay! So, ignore the alphabet, if you have the wine, enjoy it! Cheers!

Answers: 1. C, 2. A, 3. C, 4. A, 5. A, 6. B, 7. A, 8. B, 9. B. 10. B, 11. B

—CL Keedy, Linda Flemins and the Wine Education Committee

Categories
Courtyard

Join the 2024 OC Fair Courtyard Set-Up Crew

Every year, one of the BEST locations to meet and greet at the OC Fair is at The Courtyard, an attractive place to enjoy award winning wines while generating the largest source of OCWS scholarship funds. Our crew helps make sure the OCWS passes various OC Fair & Event Center requirements and other inspections the […]

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Categories
Commercial Competition

Book Now for 2024 Commercial Wine Competition

If you plan on staying at the Costa Mesa Hilton Hotel for the weekend of the Commercial Wine Competition, please make reservations no later than May 17. The OCWS has booked a block of rooms for its members at a discounted rate and this rate is guaranteed only until that date or until sold out. […]

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Categories
Commercial Competition Members Corner

Competitive Spirits

Who could have imagined that a small band of 16 like-minded, wine-loving people getting together 48 years ago could grow the largest competition of California-only wines in the world?

From that handful of passionate people and one small table at the very first competition, which had a whopping three varietals to be judged with a total of 49 entries, the OCWS continues to elevate the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, which now finds entries of upwards of 2,500 California commercial wines each year being judged by a distinguished panel of nearly 100 renowned California winemakers and winery principals.

One can only further envision just what it takes to successfully pull off the competition year after year. The event is overseen by the Commercial Competition Committee, which is comprised of a number of people from the chairperson, who heads the rest of the committee, to the cataloging coordinators who catalog and handle upwards of 15,000 bottles of wine. There is the director of judges, who coordinates all the judges and their activities and the facilities coordinator, who handles the hotel arrangements, room bookings and meals. There is also a judges’ liaison, the judges’ scoring coordinator, the data entry supervisory and the volunteer coordinators and the bagging, moving and sorting coordinators.

And, lest we forget, the more than 300 OCWS volunteers working each year doing all other jobs to make the competition more successful than the one before.

The competition itself isn’t, technically, complete until the results have been tabulated, medals awarded, remaining duplicate bottles sorted and photographed for publication and posted on our results website, winecompetition.com, and put to bed for further sorting for various purposes, such as pouring to the public at The Courtyard at the OC Fair and the annual Wine Auction.  And then, after just two months of taking deep breaths after the competition is completed, it all begins again in preparation for the next one.

If I have not provided enough information yet to have your heads spinning, I could continue to bore you with more statistics, positions and lists of people who, out of their passion for the OCWS, and the goodness of their hearts, take on all manners of positions.

This is truly just the beginning wherein you hear about volunteers running this organization. It is the hearts and minds of the OCWS members who bring everything we do to fruition in an amazingly competent and successful way.  All that can truly be said at the end of the day is that there is no organization, nor group of dedicated volunteers, anywhere that can rival the Orange County Wine Society!

Fran Gitsham, Chair, 2024 Commercial Wine Competition

Categories
Members Corner

President’s Message

Heart from pouring red wine in goblet isolated on white

This month I am reminded about how much we have to celebrate as an organization.  With over 1,000 members, we are one of the largest groups of wine enthusiasts in the nation.  And with 48 years of history, we have seen so much change and growth in the wine industry, especially in California.

In 1976, the same year OCWS was founded, the Judgement of Paris catapulted California into the vino stratosphere with a majority of the winners coming from familiar California wineries, rather than their French counterparts. You might recognize some of the wineries: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Ridge Vineyards, Heitz Wine Cellars, Clos Du Val Winery, Maycamas Vineyards, Freemark Abbey Winery, Chateau Montelena, Chalone Vineyard, Spring Mountain Vineyard, Veedercrest Vineyards and David Bruce Winery. May 24 is the anniversary of that famous showdown.

California has a long tradition of exceptional wine-making that is reflected in the winners at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition, which our organization has hosted for 48 years. The founding of our organization coincides with an explosion of wineries throughout the state.  Starting with only a few categories in the 1970s, the competition has grown to dozens of new wine categories for both varietals and blends and thousands of entries.

Wine is a very universal language and is almost always associated with celebration. Here are a few dates that you can use this month to celebrate:

  • May 3 – International Sauvignon Blanc Day
  • May 9 – World Moscato Day
  • May 23 – International Chardonnay Day
  • May 25 – National Wine Day

But honestly, do we really need a designated day to celebrate?  We, as an organization, celebrate throughout the year with dozens of events and activities that pair wine education and fun!

I personally would like to toast many of you who put in hours of volunteering to make this these events and this organization such a huge success. From the board of directors, to committee members and event volunteers, we literally have hundreds of people helping make this organization what it is today. In April alone, we had over 11 events and hundreds of attendees and volunteers …  and we are just moving into our busy season.

If you are new to the organization and haven’t volunteered at one of our events yet, I highly recommend it. Each of our events provides a number of volunteer opportunities that include a whole range of activities, from more sedentary jobs on the computer or with paperwork to very active jobs lifting wine, setting up tables and more. I cannot think of any other organization that provides so many interesting opportunities for everyone to participate at some level.  And we do it all while increasing our knowledge of wine and having a ball. Don’t miss your opportunity to work directly with winemakers at the Commercial and Home Wine Competitions (in June) or with the general public at The Courtyard at the OC Fair (in July and August). If you are interested in helping organize our amazing events, committees are often looking for new members to train.

So whatever day you wish to celebrate this May, raise a glass to the remarkable wines of California and the accomplishments of this incredible organization. We are living proof that you can pair knowledge and fun any day. Cheers to you all!

By Carolyn Christian

Categories
Recipes

Chef of the Evening

Based on his last name, you can tell Chris Ouellette is French. This recipe comes from a long line of Ouellettes back in New Hampshire and even Quebec (yes, the French part). It was a favorite of Chris’ dad. Feel free to use your favorite Burgundy, though Chris prefers a Petite Sirah.

“My dad says, ‘This is better made a day before, refrigerated and reheated gently,’” Chris says. “I feel it’s mandatory.”

If necessary, add more wine to thin the sauce while reheating or, if you prefer it thicker, that is what the potato starch is for. Finally, this is cooking (not baking). All measurements are merely guidelines. Chris advises: try it, tweak it and make it your own.

Boeuf Bourguignon
Ingredients
3 lbs. boneless beef chuck
1 stick butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. brandy
1 medium onion (yellow or red)
chopped to 1/2” pieces
2 lbs. fresh crimini mushrooms
chopped in quarters
2 1/2 Tbsp. potato starch
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cubes beef boullion
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups Burgundy
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup ruby port
1 10 1/2 oz. can condensed beef
broth, undiluted
3 bay leaves
Parsley

Instructions
WIPE beef with paper towels.
With sharp knife, cut into 1” cubes.
SLOWLY heat 5-quart dutch oven
with light fitting lid.
ADD in 2 Tbsp. of hot butter. Over
high heat, brown beef well all
over—do about 1/4 at a time, enough
to cover bottom of dutch oven so all
cubes cook evenly.
TURN beef with tongs. Lift out as
it browns. Continue until all of the
beef is browned, adding more butter
as needed (takes about 1/2 hour).
Once done, return all cubes to the
dutch oven.
HEAT 2 Tbsp. brandy in small
saucepan just until vapor rises.
IGNITE and pour over beef (this
part is optional and I usually skip
after nearly burning my house down
… twice). As the flame dies (if
you’re brave enough to have ignited
it), remove beef cubes to another pan
and set aside.
ADD 2 Tbsp. butter to dutch oven at
medium heat.
ADD onions and cook over medium
heat, covered, until onions brown
slightly, stirring occasionally.
ADD mushrooms and cook, again
stirring occasionally, roughly 5 minutes
or enough time to fully sweat
the onion/mushroom combo.
REMOVE onions and mushrooms
with slotted spoon to a separate
bowl, leaving the “juice” behind.
REMOVE dutch oven from heat.
STIR in tomato paste, red wine,
sherry, port, boullion cubes
and beef broth using a wooden
spoon or whisk.
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.
BRING wine mixture in dutch oven
just to boiling then lower heat to
low. While stirring, add beef, pepper,
bay leaf, onions, mushrooms and
remaining brandy; mix well.
PLACE a large sheet of waxed paper
over top of dutch oven; place lid
on top of paper.
BAKE covered, stirring occasionally.
COOK 2 hours or until beef is tender
when pierced with a fork.
SPRINKLE with parsley and let
cool a while (usually an hour for me)
then put in the refrigerator overnight.