Interested in sipping a complex Malbec? A powerful Syrah? Sniff. Pass. Don’t you know that beer is the new wine?

At least that was the message at Savor on Saturday evening at the National Building Museum. The massively popular craft-beer festival offered beer-and-food pairings from more than 60 breweries as well as panel discussions with experts who shared their knowledge on everything from Colorado beer to “ancient ales.” (We attended a panel on Belgian beers with Rob Tod of the Allagash Brewing Company and Peter Bouckaert of the New Belgium Brewing Company, two rock stars of the beer world.)

In need of a sure thing for a dinner party? Looking for a wine that will excite you and not just impress you? Head to Paul’s of Chevy Chase (5205 Wisconsin Ave., NW; 202-537-1900) and scan the shelves for whatever’s in stock from Terry Theise.

Theise is the Silver Spring–based wine importer who won a 2008 James Beard Foundation Award, and his name on an Austrian or German white is as close to a guarantee as there is in the world of wine.

Ideal growing conditions in Virginia’s vineyards led to a superb 2008 harvest and a bumper crop of grapes. Prodigious yields, plus increased vineyard acreage statewide, means the cellar runneth over. So wineries with more grapes than fermentation tanks are offering Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc to home winemakers.

The Virginia Wine of the Month Club offers oenophiles a chance to taste one ($14.95 a month plus shipping) or two ($24.95 a month plus shipping) of the state’s best bottlings each month. You can buy 3 to 12 months of reds, whites, or a combination of the preselected wines. Last year’s picks included such premier wines as DelFosse, White Hall, Barboursville, and Veritas.

Think Festivus is the coolest December holiday? Put down that aluminum pole, stop the Airing of Grievances, and instead pick up a glass and make a toast to Repeal Day.

December 5 marked the anniversary of the day the 36th state ratified the 21st Amendment, effectively ending Prohibition. And Friday, the DC Craft Bartenders’ Guild said cheers to the 75th anniversary of Repeal Day and the return of legalized booze with cocktails, toasts, and dancing.

Read on for the best moments of the night.

Photographs by Kelly DiNardo

Time, as the saying goes, is money, which may be why Brendan Cox and Derek Brown are zipping through the grocery store. They’re not speeding, rushing, or giving off that harried vibe that most shoppers exude this time of year, but they’re not dawdling. Their challenge: Pull together a cocktail party for ten for less than $75.

Goat cheese? Too expensive. Cox nixes a dish from his menu.

Celebrate the changing leaves of fall this Friday and every Friday through December 19 between 5 and 7 PM at Equinox’s cider-themed happy hour. The hot-cider cocktails aren’t so cheap at $10 to $11, but chef Todd Gray’s seasonal snacks—such as pumpkin fritters, sweet-potato pot stickers, and venison chili—are free. Come winter, the happy hour will take on a new theme—chocolate—featuring desserts from pastry chef Melanie Parker.