America’s current love affair with the cuisine of Spain, as well as the extensive Latin American pantry, is being explored in depth this month and next at Copia.

Churros, those tasty bits of dough fried in oil and rolled in cinnamon and sugar, get even better dipped into a cup of hot chocolate, and the combination is a sure-fire way to take the chill off these wintry days.

When the Smithsonian opens its exhibit celebrating the American wine industry, among the items on display will be the suitcase and a stack of books that Mike Grgich took with him when he left his native Croatia in the 1950s, setting out to make his mark on wine history.

The economic impact of America’s grape industry, including winegrapes, was more than $162 billion in 2005. More than 23,000 farms, 90 percent of them smaller than 100 acres, in all 50 states grow grapes, on 934,750 acres.

Silver Oak Cellars winemaker Daniel Baron has specially blended a full barrel of 2006 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon for the auction at the Vintage High School Athletic Boosters Crab Feed on Saturday.