Make California Wine the Star of Your Oscars Watch Party

The 95^th Academy Awards broadcast — you know, the Oscars! — is set for March 12. That means it’s time to celebrate the winners and the state’s iconic film industry by toasting with California wine at your Oscars watch party. The glamour of the awards calls for a next-level menu that pairs Golden State wines with fancy finger foods and small plates. Best of all, guests can enjoy the party spread from the best seat in the house — your comfy sofa.

California wine and the Academy Awards are a perfect match. Not only is the state home to Hollywood and the world’s most famous movie studios, some of the industry’s top luminaries — Oscar winners themselves — are also California vintners. This includes legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Inglenook) and director-producer John Lasseter (Lasseter Family Wines), known for his work with Disney and Pixar. Musician John Legend (an “EGOT” because he has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award) is also the man behind LVE Collection wines, a collaboration with Napa Valley’s Raymond Vineyards.

Here are some red-carpet recipes for elegant watch-party appetizers and bites, paired with an array of Golden State sips