After everyone nabs their awards and thanks their fellow nominees/agent/best spouse ever/kids who are still up, the fun begins. Namely, drinking wine at the Governor’s Ball. I love how everyone just covers what Wolfgang Puck will be whipping up food-wise each year – they miss the best part!

This year, the wine winner is Sterling Vineyards. They’ll be pouring out limited production 2010 Reserve Chardonnay and 2008 Reserve Cabernet. (At the awards themselves, they’ll have Sterling Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Chardonnay, Carneros Pinot Noir, and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.)

Sterling has been providing the wine for the Givernor’s Ball for a few years now. I like how winemaker Alison Crary got all into the Oscar spirit with her quote last year: “I see similarities between winemaking and moviemaking. Napa is a great story and my job, like any director’s, is to create a ‘Best Picture’ with every vintage. The winemaker is the story teller…the vineyard is the script, with a cast of varietals and the potential to tell a different version of the story with each vintage. A bold, powerful and unforgettable wine reminds me of a Best Actor or Actress, while a wine that is consistently good, versatile with food and you can always rely on is like a Best Supporting Actress or Actor.”