Personally, I'm not a big fan of caviar, although it does give a certain impressive air to parties and the quality of the American product has increased significantly over the past few years, meaning that good-quality caviar is often available at a reasonable price for those who do like it. If you are thinking about serving caviar at any of your holiday parties, you might want to take a look at the Caviar and Bubbles brochure from Schramsberg Vineyards. It was produced in conjunction with the Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Company and is a guide to pairing champagne, specifically six Schramsberg blends, with caviar. Three different types of caviar are recommended for each champagne. The Brut Rosé, for example, pairs with the Beet and Saffron Whitefish, Truffled Tiger-Eyed Whitefish and/or Gold Pearl Trout. The guide is available both as a PDF and can be ordered through the mail from Schramsberg.

New Zealand winery Spy Valley has won a prestigious award, not for their wines this time but an architecture award for eye catching design.

The award is among 29 national awards made by the New Zealand Institute of Architecture. The winery, opened in 2003, was designed by Bevin and Slessor Architects of Petone and Hugh Tennant Architects of Wellington  It has been described as 'cleverly executed using the simplest of materials in a very down-to-earth, friendly way'.  While the judges described it as "A very clear and well executed complex focusing on and cleverly articulating the process of wine production using very simple but contemporary building forms and materials reminiscent but independent of the traditional rural vernacular".

Today was the first day that three new Viticultural areas, or wine regions, in Washington (Wahluke Slope), Texas (Texoma) and California, can be noted on wine labels. NPR has a nice piece on how this happened in Ramona Valley, near San Diego, Calif. In order to be designated as its own appellation, a region must prove that it has unique topography and climate; that there is some history of the area being called, in this case, "Ramona Valley"; and that wine grapes can, and are, being grown there.

Ramona Valley is distinct thanks to its position about 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean, and about 20 miles from the desert. It cools off quickly during the evening, but the days provide long hours of warmth and good ripening time. Grapes that do well in Ramona Valley, says a winemaker, include Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc.