Gift Picks:

Whiskey: Glenfarclas 12 Year Old Whisky

Rum: Ron Zacapa Solera 23 year old

Cognac: Bisquit & Dubouché - (or the more budget friendly brandy option, Torres 10 Year Old)

Fancy Wines:

Château Saint Bernard 2018 Bordeaux, France

Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France (this one is pricey)

Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France

William Fevre Chablis, France

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Bench Red, B.C.

Pick(s) of the Week:

Codorniu Brut Clasico, Cava, Spain

Gerard Bertrand Corbieres 2017

Pick of the Week: Beronia Rioja Reserva, 2016, Spain

Pick of the Week: Take It To The Grave Grenache, McLaren Vale Australia.

Pick of the Week: Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir 2019, Chile

And Now Pair This (Cheese Edition) Results:

Brie: Lindemans Bin 65 (unoaked) Chardonnay, or spend big bucks on a real French Chablis.

Aged Cheddar: White Haven New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Folonari Ripasso Valpolicella

Manchego: Spanish Cava, such as Codorniu Clasico or Freixenet

Cambozola: Ogier Cotes du Rhone Heritages, Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône-Villages, Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Réserve

Plain Goat Cheese: Champaign or Pinot Noir... that simple.

Smoked Gouda: Bread & Butter Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills H3 Merlot, Washington State

And, in closing, if faced with a varied cheese plate, go for a well balanced chardonay (white) or a well balanced sangiovese, grenache, or rioja (red).

Pick of the Week: White Haven Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

Bonus Mention: Thomson and Scott Noughty Blanc de Blanc, non-alcoholic sparking wine

Pick of the Week: Columbia Crest Merlot, 2018, Washington State

Pick of the Week: Batasiolo Barbera d'Alba 2018, Italy

"And Now Pair This" results:

Spaghetti with (basic) meat sauce: Giacondi Sangiovese, Italy (yet again) or Tsantali Rouge, Greece

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwich with Mayo: Prosecco

Grilled Salmon: For white, a Siegerrebe or an Ortega from Vancouver Island. For red, a Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir (such as beaujolais)

Butternut Squash Soup: Amontillado, a style of sherry out of Spain, or a Marsala, fortified wine from Italy (Rod notes, if there's a lot of ginger in the soup drink a beer instead!)

Pick of the Week: Briccotondo Barbera, Italy

Special Guest Picks of the Week!

2015 Louis Latour Chardonnay, a deep cut which is on the wine list at the Med Grill. France.

BC Wine Studio Sirens Call Harmonious, expensive but apparently punches above its weight. Okanagan.

Pick of the Week: Folonari Valpolicella, Italy