When the Olympics aired in my house this past month – it was serious business. The competition and spirit of the Games are a welcome vacation from the usual TV line up. Bringing together global athletes and their supporters offers a post card glance at a country from afar. The world gets a frenzied eighteen-day peek of the host nation and its culture. Of course there is also the great spectator sport of food and wine, forever at the heart of any civilization. This months Vine and Dish travels (from the couch) 5,636 miles east of Virginia and recreates Russian style blinis. They are one of the best-known Russian dishes that recently celebrated its thousandth birthday. Observing that somewhat bristly camaraderie between the US and Russia we made traditional blinis and paired them with Virginia's own Thebaut Jannisson sparkling wine.

I had never heard of Sochi Russia until these 2014 Olympic Games, 995 miles south of Moscow, its actually Sub Tropical. Sochi, affectionately known as the Russian Rivera was gussied up and on display for the world to see. Celebrations of all kinds take place at the Olympic Games – from Gold to just getting there – The Games are a kind of festival of friendship.

Probably the most food friendly wine is sparkling wine or Champagne. The wine is typically blended from different vintages giving the end result true minerality a characteristic that adds depth to flavor. The acidity in a cuvee cuts through rich, fatty and dense dishes. Sparkling wine can even boldly take on with great success high-acid ingredients such as tomatoes or vinegars that are typically tough to pair with wine.

A true darling of area restaurateurs is Virginia's own Janisson Thibaut. An honorary ambassador to the Virginia wine industry this winery has done more to crack the code of Virginia's wine recognition than any other. Claude Thibaut and Manuel Janisson produce marvelous sparklers that go nicely with caviar in the blinis.

These blinis with (eh hem) American caviar and sour cream are simple, tasty, elegant and a time-honored representation of Mother Russia. Paired with sparkling wine - they beg a celebration. And, in all honesty our Olympic champagne and caviar moment came when the American Hockey team beat the Russians – now that's was something to raise a glass to – ypa!

Ode to Sochi Blinis

Makes 12 – 18 Blinis

½ cup Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
3 oz milk
1Tbs butter

Combine flour, baking powder, eggs and salt – whisk to combine adding milk to make a fine smooth batter. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before frying.

Heat pan on med heat. Add butter and melt. Add batter in tablespoon quantities. Sautee for three minutes till golden brown, turn and cook additional 2 minutes.

Serve a variety of toppings such as:
• Caviar
• Smoked salmon
• Sour cream
• Chives or spring onions
• Chopped apples
• Chopped dried figs
• And for the teenage set …. My son loves peanut butter or Nutella.