Can you imagine traveling and tasting the flavors of California’s beautiful wine region — and being honored for it?

MSNBC.com and TODAYshow.com wine columnist Edward Deitch has done just that — winning the prestigious 2007 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in the category of Multimedia Writing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant or Nutrition — basically the Pulitzer of the food-writing world — for his article “On the trail of great California syrah and more.”

The winning article began with Deitch taking a roadtrip in a California tourist staple — a white Mustang rental — throughout gorgeous Santa Barbara county, visiting various wineries and hotspots, including the renowned Hitching Post, famous for permitting “Sideways’” avid-Merlot protestor Paul Giamatti to drink himself into a wobbly stupor.

Deitch didn’t experience the hangovers and violent lady troubles of the film’s notorious characters; instead, packed with a camera and thirst for the perfect Syrah, Deitch took a close look at the area’s impressive vineyards and prized grapes.

In honor of his prize, we asked the wine aficionado and NBC Nightly News senior producer to elaborate on his award-winning article and video, his adventures in wine country and what readers can expect to find in his very own cellar. Read our Q&A:

What’s your personal philosophy and approach to wine and food writing? What do you think it is about your column, “On the trail of great California syrah and more,” that drew the attention of the James Beard Foundation?

Well first, I don’t attempt to review everything. I’m looking for an outstanding wine (or two) each week that I can build a story around, both in my column and in my videos. I emphasize story and narrative — why I think a wine stands out. I’ll leave it to others to put scores on wines.  For me, wine is much more than a number. When I find a terrific wine, whether it’s $10 or $50, I want to know what went into making it great. I’ll dig and report and find out as much information as I can, talking to winemakers, importers and others who can provide insights. I make a point of spending a lot of time with the wine, sometimes over a couple of days, tasting it repeatedly, observing as much as I can about it and seeing how it evolves. 

I also like to write about how I discovered it, what foods I paired it with and how I enjoyed it with friends and family. I think this combined approach of storytelling and criticism must have left an impression on the James Beard judges.

You visited both Bien Nacido Vineyard and Stolpman Vineyards in Santa Barbara County. What was the most enjoyable part of tasting (and spitting) your way through some of California’s famous wineries?

As I said in the column, I really enjoyed sitting down to a great homemade Thai lunch on a Friday afternoon with the whole crew at the Bien Nacido Vineyard and tasting 20 or more wines — from pinot gris and chardonnay to pinot noir and syrah, often several vintages of each. Most of the wines went surprisingly well with the spicy food.

I also liked experiencing where these top wines came from, picking up pieces of limestone on Stolpman’s steep hillside vineyards, feeling the cooling ocean breezes blowing through the valley at Bien Nacido, just getting my hands dirty for a change out in the vineyards. The Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys are absolutely gorgeous country, by the way.

How did your producing skills come in handy for your story?  Was it challenging to juggle a camera and video equipment with glasses of syrah?

I don’t recommend trying to taste wine and shoot video at the same time. Aren’t there laws against that? But because I’ve been a television news producer longer than a wine critic, I have a sense of how to shoot interviews and scenery, both in video and stills. When I got the tape back to our office I noticed a lot of wind noise from the vineyards, so I had to work hard to make the video piece work.

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