Rocca Sveva Amarone

Amarone is a special wine - a rich Italian red typically made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes thats both full bodied and dry. Its the fourth best selling wine in Italy and this Rocca Sveva Amarone showcases why.

Offering a deep ruby, almost inky color, this wine is full of ripe red fruits on the nose and a blend of light balsamic, cherries and hazelnuts on the palate. Its a dry, but well-structured wine and full of tannins that would be great to to pair with red meats or strong cheeses.

Cost: $50/bottle

Where to Buy: GetWineOnline.com

Cafe Culture Pinotage

I'm an advocate for trying new things, so when I was introduced to Pinotage, I said why not? A South African blend of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut grapes, these styles of wine typically evoke smokey, earth-like flavors.

Enter Cafe Culture Pinotage, a wine that exhibited these traits on the nose but offered something a bit more surprising on the palate - decadence! I've in turned deemed this "the coffee drinker's wine." It's Starbucks meets the vine. And while its not so traditional, its trendy and has a social spirit that is perfect for your next housewarming party. It has a style all its own which offers a mouthful of flavor with every sip - vibrant espresso and mocha undertones. The wine itself undergoes wood maturation which helps bring these attributes to life. The result, a medium bodied, balanced wine thats easy to drink.

Cost: $10/bottle

Pairing: Because of its decadence, pair with berry desserts of dark chocolate truffles.

Oscar's Week: Black Swan

In one of the best performances of the year, Natalie Portman’s startling character portrayal in the Black Swan is more than a psychological thriller. Toast her swirl of brilliance and insanity from White Swan to Black Swan, while drinking these cocktails to match. Begin with the White Lady in its classic and purest form and end with the dark and deliciously menacing Cointreau Noir in Black Ice.

The White Lady

• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 2 oz. Gin
• 3/4 oz. Lemon juice

Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Black Ice

• 3 oz. Cointreau Noir
• Ice cubes

Pour over ice and enjoy.

Oscar's Week: The Fighter

Oscar's Week rolls on and not without a punch! Today we're toasting two knock-outs, Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg in "The Fighter." In my opinion, anything related to Mark Wahlberg is delightful (especially if it involves no shirt and Studio 54, but I digress...)

Just like the movie, this cocktail, made with Dewar's 12, packs a punch but also evokes great passion. So, sit back and sip on these Blood & Sands as you watch the film duke it out for Oscar gold!

Blood & Sand

• 2 oz Dewar's 12 Blended Scotch Whiskey
• 1 oz cherry liqueur
• 1 oz red (sweet) vermouth
• 1 oz fresh squeezed orange juice

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Oscar's Week: The King's Speech

Continuing the flow of our cocktail glasses, we bow our hat to the King... well, the King's Speech! (and Colin Firth - isn't he just adorable? I digress...)

The King’s Speech
Raise your glass to Colin Firth’s Golden Globe and SAG victories with this decidedly British cocktail. Made with Earl Grey tea and Bombay Sapphire, the quintessential London Dry Gin, this cocktail is worthy of a King.

Bombay Sapphire Royal Tea

• 2 oz. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin
• 1 oz. Earl Grey Tea Infused Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Fresh lemon
• 1 oz. Egg white
• ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
• ½ Rock candy
• 2 Dashes orange bitters
• Topped with a Bitter Orange

Combine gin, tea infused simple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker over ice, shake vigorously. Double strain into a tea cup. Beat espuma mix until thick and foamy, spoon into tea cup, on top of Sapphire mixture. Put a pinch of tea leaves in center, garnish with a stick of orange bitters rock candy on the side of the tea saucer.

And the Winner is...

You should know by now that every so often we throw a non-from-the-vine-bevi into the mix of our indulgences. That's because every WinoBee sometimes needs to deviate from their norm. In fact, we encourage expanding the palate, and hell, we fall culprit to it ourselves. It's nice to keep things eclectic, which is exactly our aim for all next week.

The Oscars are right around the corner (Sunday, February 27th) so we'll be using the next few days to lure you into a world of creation (ooh - we sound so "Inception" right now)... a world that's chock full of tasty cocktails, gold statue-worthy recipes and creative tips for hosting your own glammed out party -- all of which are sure to keep with the theme of Hollywood's Biggest Night!

Be sure to check back next week for all the fun, but in the meantime, we know ya'll will be getting your own Facebook-Tweeting-Blogging-FourSquaring-Tumbling-self on this weekend, so why not try whipping up one of these tasty lil' buggers to spawn some fun?

The Social Network

Created by Boston mixologist Scott Marshall of Drink, this coffee-infused cocktail is the perfect bevi to fuel those long nights spent hacking into the Harvard computer network.

The All-Nighter

• 2 ½ oz. Rye Whiskey
• ½ oz. Benedictine Liqueur
• Muddled fresh coffee beans

Build in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Kim Crawford Accessorizes Fashion Week

This week's been buzzing with all the hottest new styles during the infamous Mercedes Benz Spring Fashion Week in New York City. But the happenings on the runway weren't the only things catching fashionista's eyes. This year was all about the style you were sipping. Celeb and fashion icons alike (and me, tomorrow) all had the opportunity to grace the tents toting delish Kim Crawford Wines as their latest accessory. As the official wine sponsor of this year's festivities, Kim Crawford definitely got things buzzing... and we got the inside scoop for you!

Crowds came out in droves for the fashion week kickoff event of The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection fashion show at Lincoln Center. While guests sipped on glasses of Kim Crawford Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc out front in the lobby, celebs backstage, including Patti LaBelle, Dita Von Teese, Camilla Alves and her hottie mc-hottie boyfriend Matthew McConaughey sent their reps out to beg for bottles of the Pinot Noir to bring back to them. One bottle, two glasses each. Were they just trying to calm their nerves before the big event or were they actually wanting a true heart health day in honor of the cause?! A glass a day keeps the doctor away!

Other celebs made a bee line for the Wine Bar after the walking the catwalk including Eve, Taraji P. Henson, and Ann Curry, who, when asked about how she felt when walking the runway for the first time, said “I was petrified. Totally petrified. But I just kept telling myself ’I am here to love you all, I am here to love you all.” We love you too, Ann!

Fashion mega-superstar Christian Siriano toasted his new collection with Kim Crawford Wines and his two leading ladies, Gabrielle Union and Mena Suvari. Gabrielle Union rocked some killer shoes and sipped only on Pinot Noir all night while chatting away with an entourage of male friends (where was Dwayne Wade?) - while Mena Suvari stuck to the Sauvignon Blanc and “danced, danced, like it’s the last, last night of her life, life” a la Usher.

MR Patrick Duffy and Pat Cleveland, (the legendary and emblematic supermodel of the 70s and 80s, and the first African American supermodel to grace the cover of Vogue magazine) hosted fellow style gurus Patrick McDonald kicked off the week alongside notorious fashion character Lauren Ezersky and the infamous Anita Aarko at the Kim Crawford wine bar.

And tomorrow the biggest thing to hit the tents since Carrie Bradshaw... Lil' Miss WinoBee! Stay tuned for more Fashion Week fun!