Tips for Oscar Viewing Festivities

Celebrity event planner and Mirassou Winery spokesperson Mindy Weiss shares her insider tips for hosting an award-winning Oscar bash at home.

What would the Oscars be without your very own, at-home Oscar-viewing gathering? Televised in more than 100 countries, the Oscars is a much-anticipated television night. And more and more viewers are celebrating by hosting their own Oscar-night event for friends and family, while watching the red-carpet glamour.

Just ask any celebrity about their favorite event, and you're sure to hear the name Mindy Weiss roll off their tongues. A lifestyle expert known for throwing some of the hottest events in Hollywood, Mindy is no stranger to the glitz and glam of Tinseltown. In fact, Mindy has planned such star-studded events as birthday parties for many celebrities as well as the famous Carousel Ball and Race to Erase MS.

Mindy offers these tips to make your own Oscar watch night as fabulous as the real event:

1. Set the Stage - Pick your favorite Oscar-nominated film and use it as the theme for your gathering. For example, if you like "The Queen," you could provide guests with tiaras or crowns; spray gold paint on the inside of glass vases and fill them with white flowers; and, if your budget allows, have a royal guard greet guests at the door.

2. Dress the Part - Invite guests to dress the part to help set the mood. While black tie may be too much, encouraging friends and family members to come "dressed to impress" will help put your Oscar soiree over the top.

3. Wine and Dine - No festivity is complete without a great selection of wine and food pairings. An easy way to please most palates is to choose a wine that is not overly oaked, such as Mirassou, from the Central Coast of California. Its wine style is fruit-forward, food-friendly and affordable at about $10 a bottle -- and its Pinot is currently America's favorite California Pinot Noir. From cheese plates with a crisp Chardonnay, to rich chocolate desserts with a luscious Pinot Noir, wine is a classic and classy way to throw a soiree with style!

4. Create Some Fun - Tie Oscar trivia questions onto wine bottles, using thick white cardstock and gold ribbon to get your guests talking. Or print ballot sheets for your guests and award the guests with the most winners an "Oscar" -- the chocolate version, of course.

The Mirassou family has been growing grapes and crafting superior wines since 1854, earning them the distinction of being America's oldest winemaking family.