Wine shops dole out Oscar party advice

Planning to celebrate Sean Penn's big Oscar night win (it's inevitable, right?) or perhaps to drown yourself in drink over Benjamin Button's infuriating number of nominations?

A couple local wine purveyors passed along some recommendations to win over your guests (or hosts). Take heed, cause it may be the only winning you'll do all day -- you know you aren't gonna win the contest, right?

Mike over at Solo Vino in St. Paul suggests cava as a celebratory choice for an Oscars party. "It's sparkly, fun and slightly more glamorous," he says. Plus, cava goes well with many snacks and you can get a lot of bang for your buck on a bottle of it.

He specifically recommends the "Reserva de la Familia" made by Juve y Camps.

"We like it a lot because its 20 bucks and tastes way better than 20 bucks. It's got a little bit of sexyness to it," he says.

Mike also says an oaky chardonnay would pair well with snacks, particularly popcorn. You can also get a great value on Hungarian and Greek wines right now, he says -- many of them in the $10-20 range.

Andy at Haskell's in Minneapolis suggests going with a California wine in honor of the Hollywood occasion.

"If you're going for the glitzy Hollywood theme, I'd go with a Napa cab," he says, many of which run under $25. He recommends Napa Cellars and St. Francis in particular, or any from Louis Martini.

If you want to creep a bit cheaper, Andy suggests heading for Spanish and South American wines, particularly malbecs and grenaches, which go well with finger foods.

He recommends a grenache called "Garnacha de Fuego" that's only $9.

The store also has a couple organic malbecs. "That's kinda California, huh?"