Debbie & Doug Wiens Purchase Orange Coast Winery

What do you get when you combine a winemaker with vision and an actress with dreams? You get a pretty cool and intimate place named the Orange Coast Winery, located just a couple of blocks shy of the ocean in Newport Beach.

Debbie and Doug Weins recently purchased the OC Winery from Newport Beach resident Gus DeFalco. Doug W is one of the founding family members and winemaker of the very successful Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula. Doug was awarded Winemaker of the Year by the Inland Empire Magazine for 2012.

Debbie is a free spirit who loves people. Her personality is nothing short of bubbly and kind. She hold a dual Masters Degree in Education and Counseling, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater. You can also add professional actor, voiceover, and model to her portfolio.

Their wines are much like themselves; the reds are like Doug, adventurous and interesting, and the whites like Debbie, are bright and pleasant.

2011 Sauvignon Blanc. Comprised of 50% Temecula vineyards and 50% Lodi. A cool crisp wine that had a citrus, mandarin, and lemongrass nose. It filled the mouth with an array of tropical fruits like mandarin, kumquat, and white peach. The finish was clean and impressive in length for a white. It was paired with their signature artichoke, feta, and sun dried tomato flatbread. Most excellent.

2010 Zinfandel. A product of the Temecula Valley vineyard belonging to the Chatterjee family from Irvine. Keeping it local. I love that! A noteworthy zin having a jammy nose of raspberry, plum, cherry, and pomegranate. The body was just as full of flavor and fruit as the nose. The tannins well balanced, giving a subtle tactile mouthfeel. Its finish was fruity and long, yet without it being a fruit bomb. Four cheese baked rigatoni with chicken Italian sausage matched quite well.

2010 Malbec. Hailing from the Paso Robles property owned by Debbie's relatives, which is another medal producing region. The nose was full,completely filling the senses with dark plum, spice, and even subtle caramel. This wines attack of plum, spice, and balanced tannins left everyone desiring more. The high acidity of Malbec added to the clean finish of this wine. Paired with flank steak and mint goat cheese crostini they couldn't go wrong impressing their guests.

2008 Beach Blend Red. A Reserve created from 60% Petit Sirah, 20% Merlot, and 10% Syrah. All hailing from Napa, with the Petite Sirah also coming from Amador. The nose was of dark fruits such as blackberry and plum. Flora also lended itself to filling the senses. A very full bodied wine on the attack, with dark fruits following through from the nose in a rich symphony of flavor that compliments each other. It possessed a long and pleasant finish. flourless dark chocolate cake with raspberry drizzle accompanied the wine for a wonderful conclusion to the event.