Wineries who participate in the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition have an opportunity to send their winemaker and/or winery principals to meet the 45,000+ daily fair guests and Orange County Wine Society members volunteering at the Wine Courtyard at the OC Fair. The fair runs from mid-July to mid-August in Costa Mesa, CA. An RBS certified member of the OCWS will pour wines provided, while the winery representatives introduce fairgoers to their winery. Wineries may promote their wine and winery, sign up new Wine Club members and take orders to be filled later (wine bottle sales are not permitted on the fairgrounds).
The Wine Courtyard is a 7,300sf-area designated for wine sales, with the Featured Winery bar located under shading just steps away from the main counters where OCWS volunteers serve award winning wines from the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition during the fair. Wineries participating in the program are featured on OCWS social media and the OC Fair website.
Wines must be shipped in advance to the OCWS office prior to the fair opening date. FedEx/UPS/GSO are unable to access the fairgrounds for deliveries during the fair. Featured wineries provide 3-4 cases featuring up to 5 varietals of their wines. It has been found that the wineries have more success if they include 2 or 3 award winning wines. 2 one-ounce tastes are poured for $5 and an 8-ounce glass for $10. The OCWS provides the glasses, dump buckets, signage of the specific wines provided and the bar where the wines are served. Wineries are welcome to bring a winery banner or signage to place across the front of the Featured Winery bar. Participating wineries are encouraged to bring their Wine Club applications and marketing materials.
Proceeds from the Featured Winery Program go directly to the OCWS Scholarship fund which supports students at eight California Colleges and Universities with programs in enology, viticulture, and culinary arts.
The Featured Winery Program hours are from 3 to 7pm each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the run of the fair Please contact Liz Corbett or Lloyd Corbett at FeaturedWinery@ocws.org or 714-342-6652 to book your reservation.
