When pairing Super Bowl foods with wine, keep this rule in mind: fat with acidity, salt with sugar.

Greasy, Fatty Foods and Wine

Greasy or fatty finger foods need a wine with a bit of acidity to help cut the fat. Grapes like riesling, gewürztraminer and grüner veltliner are great choices. Red grapes can also work, but avoid heavy or tannic wines. Pinot noir, tempranillo and gamay can be a pleasant match.

I have a motto for buying beer for parties: don’t be a hero.

When buying beer for myself, I love a good microbrew, the kind of beer that shows the love and care that went into its creation. I prefer to support good, local breweries over the Molson and Labbatt brands of this world.

But when I’m hosting a few sports fans for the Super Bowl, I buy beers that are crowd-pleasing, light and affordable.

I recently spent the evening at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, where I was treated to an evening with the Friends of Laphroaig, a tasting and fan group for the famous Islay distillery, Laphroaig.

What better way to pay homage to the Scottish bard than by coming in to work on Thursday with a scotch hangover? Whether you celebrate with a kilt, haggis and full regalia or just by watching golf on television, the following recommendations should help you celebrate in style.

So reach into your deep pockets with those short Scottish arms and enjoy one or two of these authentic Scottish whiskies.

Last month I attended a horizontal tasting — a tasting of a selection of products from a single producer — of Glenmorangie single malt scotch whisky at the Fairmont Palliser hotel. Glenmorangie is a classic scotch brand and one of the most drinkable. The whiskies are smooth and enjoyable, and depending on your budget, relatively affordable.

It’s no secret that I love a good glass of sherry. Because of my ongoing interest in sherry, I had the chance to interview Mr. Christopher Cannan, a wine exporter and sherry expert, who was in Calgary promoting Bodegas Lustau. 

Tom Firth: Are consumers still interested in sherry? Are they rediscovering it?

Rarely a week goes by without someone asking me about a newfangled “miracle” wine device and if it works.

Most recently someone asked me about a bottle-top wine chiller. This device is used to chill a room temperature bottle by the glass. I suggested to my colleague that there is a cheaper, better way to chill a bottle of wine. And no, this solution doesn’t depend on your significant other refilling the ice tray.

Try the toilet tank.

As a wine writer, sometimes you just have to spend a night tasting beer. In this case, my night was spent tasting a vertical (successive vintages) of the world’s strongest commercially available lager, Samichlaus, which weighs in at a hefty 14 percent alcohol.

Our Samichlaus tasting guide for the evening was Karl Stöhr, the very charming and funny owner of Schoss Eggenberg, which produces Samichlaus.

In late fall I had the opportunity enjoy lunch with Enrique Tirado, the technical director and head winemaker for Concha y Toro’s Don Melchor brand.

The average wine drinker who has tried Chilean wine has probably sampled Concha y Toro, but they may not be familiar with Don Melchor, the flagship wine from the Concha y Toro line.

Choosing a wine at a restaurant is always feels far more stressful than it needs to be.

If the restaurant has a good in-house sommelier, selecting a wine should be a pleasant, stress-free experience. The sommelier will help you choose a wine that is appropriate for your budget, meal and dining experience.

Brad Royale, wine director for Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, summarizes the role of a sommelier: