Please forgive me, football fans. This Sunday, I’ll be more interested in whether Madonna can strut her way through halftime without a wardrobe malfunction than I’ll be in who wins the Super Bowl.

Sadly, televised sporting events don’t call for haute cuisine, so booze pairings can get a bit pedestrian.

A balanced ale or mass market lager beer make a good fallback position for manly junk food. The fun starts when trying to find an all-purpose wine to partner with those eatables that get invited to every Super Bowl party.

The crisp, bubbly goodness of a drier sparkling wine (think a mid-priced Spaniard) goes incredibly well with salty snack foods like popcorn, potato chips and pretzels.

If you’re serving up a plate of hot wings pour a glass of white, medium dry German riesling or a red California zinfandel.

When it come to nachos, I prefer a white wine match (nothing too expensive) that emulates the refreshing qualities of a good brew. Familia Zuccardi’s 2011 Fuzion Chenin Torrontés ($7.75 – $9.99) from Argentina is off-dry with a tropical blend of juicy green fruit that ends with a lick of white pepper.

Prices reflect the range across Canada. Some products may not be available in all provinces.