Sip wine and chomp chips

Afriend of mine turned 40 last week.

So. Like many, she was not looking forward to the milestone, wanting nothing to do with it. Her friends, on the other hand, weren’t having any of that, and so a whole day’s worth of surprise shenanigans was planned.

It was to be a roving surprise party, with numerous stations around the city she’d be escorted through. Now, the birthday girl really likes potato chips. I guess we all do, but to those close to her, her chip adoration is known as a signature trait. She’s also kind and smart and funny and everything that goes along with those things, but the chip thing is right up there too.

The idea pitched to me was to set up a wine-andchip tasting for her and a small group of friends, and as a guy who is also a big fan of both delicious categories, I was happy to oblige.

Hey, by no means is the chips ’n’ wine thing unique. Many a wine brand has promoted the accessibility of its fare by recommending such pairings. And, really, who among us hasn’t been a few glasses in and been elated to remember there are chips in the cupboard? This exercise allowed me to give it a solid focus and do some Incredibly Difficult Research in not only working out solid pairings but making them so enjoyable that a reluctant birthday girl might change her tune. I went with Kettle Brand potato chips because I enjoy the diversity of their flavours (which are always balanced) and they have a good crunch.

Without further ado, here are four of the pairings I put together, confident they’d be worthy of a good friend’s special day.

JOSEPH DROUHIN DROUHINVAUDON CHABLIS RESERVE DE

VAUDON 2014 (France; $36.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) This stunning Chardonnay weaves citrus fruit and fresh herbs together and then is painted with a light coat of fresh ginger. What I hoped would be a no-brainer ended up knocking it out of the park. Kettle Brand Moscow Mule chips are (stay with me here) a delicious combo of spicy ginger and lime, rounded out by fried salty goodness. Yes, these potato chips fashioned with classic cocktail flavours end up standing shoulder to shoulder with a fancy-pants (but killer value) Chablis, and the result is spot-on.

HAYWIRE GAMAY NOIR ROSÉ

2016 (Okanagan Valley, B.C.; $22.90, www.okanagancrushpad.com/) A dry, pink wine with red plums, mulberries, and a good rub of fresh thyme. I was looking for a wine that would

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