Tonight is the big night… the 82nd Academy Awards®.  After the Red Carpet walks and hours of awards, the parties begin!  The official party is the Governors Ball, immediately following the Awards, in the Grand Ballroom on the top of the Hollywood & Highland Center.

For the 16th consecutive year, chef Wolfgang Puck has designed the menu for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences official Academy Awards after party. Special events producer Cheryl Cecchetto, for the 21st consecutive year, is producing it along with her Sequoia Productions.

“The Governors Ball will fuse eclectic and innovative design elements reminiscent of the late 1930s ‘Streamline Moderne’ style.  The overall look will marry artistic originality with the Academy’s own tradition of class and elegance,” said Cecchetto.

The official Champagne… Moët & Chandon. 1,200 bottles will be on hand to make the official cocktail..

The Moët Golden Glamour

• 0.25 oz vanilla liqueur
• 1.5 oz passionfruit juice
• 4 oz Moët & Chandon Imperial champagne
• Mint sprig, for garnish

A few additional fun facts and photos to get you in the party mood.

• 1500 guests
• 900 staff in specially designed dresses and uniforms for the Ball
• 15 Pounds of Edible Gold Dust
• 4000 Mini Chocolate Oscars
• 3060 Wood Fired Oscar Shaped Flat Bread
• 18 Piece All Female Orchestra
• 10,000 Blooms used to decorate including Hydrangeas from New Zealand, Rothchild vandaorchids from Thailand, Lisianthus from Holland and organically grown roses on a VeraFlora certified farm in Ecuador
• And for the first time, winners will be able to have their statuettes personalized with engraved nameplates at the Ball

Check out The Academy’s official website for your Oscar Party Kit – ballots, games and official cocktail recipes. Enjoy the show!

* Source: www.oscars.org

So why not serve the same at your Oscar Party!

For the 6th year the Academy Awards will pour Sterling Vineyards’ specially created wines at the after gala ball with Wolfgang Puck’s menu for 1,500 guests and at the evening’s pre show reception.

VP of winemaking Mike Westrick describes the special line up, “The 2005 Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet shows notes of cassis, plum, blackberry and Asian spices. The Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay offers aromas and flavors of toffee, vanilla, gala apples and Bosc pear. The Muscat Canelli is just luscious, with generous elements of apricot, honeysuckle, ginger and clove.” The Muscat is a new addition to the Oscar line up this year.

Only a few hundred cases of each vintage of Gold Standard Reserve Chardonnay and Red Carpet Reserve Cabernet are produced each year to celebrate the special night. Each bottle bears the winemakers’ signatures and this year is embossed with a stylized bronze cherry blossom to complement the Governors Ball’s Asian theme.

Check out their website for all the different options you can bring home.

Founded in 1964 by Peter Newton, Sterling Vineyards sits 300 feet above Calistoga and offers sweeping views over Napa Valley. Take the aerial tram up to the winery modeled after Greek Island Mykonos, where Peter once lived, for a tour and tastings in their upscale facilities.