Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

I know, I know, everyone will be drinking beer for the Super Bowl. There will be beer in cans and beer in bottles, beer in kegs and beer in buckets. Rivers of beer will flow, and rafting along them will be cheery platoons of 49ers and Ravens fans.

But what about the few brave folks out there who, when confronted by that fifth plate of Buffalo chicken wings, lift their wineglass and down the contents, feeling nothing but courage and a sense that sidestepping the expected is the reason they’re alive?

Well, for the few and the proud - i.e., the wine-drinking football fans of the world - here are a few excellent Super Bowl wine options, tied to some of the most popular Super Bowl snacks.

Ray's beer picks for Super Bowl snacks

Potato Chips
With salt and fat (pretty much the essence of the potato chip) you want acidity and bubbles. A lively sparkling wine, anything from Champagne to Prosecco to cava, is a great partner for potato chips, or really chips of any kind.

Two particularly good deals: the citrusy NV Bouvet Signature Brut, a Loire Valley sparkling wine made from Chenin Blanc, and, since one of this year’s teams is from San Francisco, the lively NV Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Brut from California.

More potato chip pairings from Ray

Buffalo Chicken Wings
Tannins and high alcohol in wine both amplify heat, so it’s generally best to avoid them with spicy food (that is, unless you’re one of those ghost-pepper-eating, phall-curry-chomping madmen). Instead, try an off-dry Riesling - the light sweetness will balance the heat, and Riesling’s stone fruit notes are great with chicken (and with the obligatory blue cheese dressing). Look for the nectariney 2011 Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington or the apple-inflected 2011 Loredona Riesling from California.

Ray's favorite beers for chicken wings

Chili
Chili can have some heat, sure, but even more than that it has everything: meat, lots of spices, beans (or not - fierce arguments erupt over this), maybe some cheese on top. It’s basically a big bowlful of intense flavor, and it needs an equally substantial wine to go along with it; anything light or delicate is simply going to get wiped out.

My vote this Super Bowl season goes to Argentine Malbec, whose peppery, plummy flavors are great with chili. Two impressive values are the potent 2011 Pascual Toso Malbec and the berry-rich 2010 Argento Reserva.

Pizza
Here’s the actual truth when it comes to pizza: a lot of wines go just fine with it. You’re basically looking at cheese, tomato sauce and bread, in other words some fat and protein, a little acidity, and a whole lot of carbs. Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Champagne - any of them would work, so why not go a different route and pour something that seems culturally apt, like an Italian red? Santadi’s spicy 2010 Grotta Rossa from Sardinia is a southern Italian bargain; so is the aromatic, juicy 2010 Planeta La Segreta Rosso from Sicily.

Creamy Dips
Onion dip, ranch dressing, even guacamole - the actual name for this category could be “goopy stuff,” but that’s not really very appetizing. Regardless, you want a wine that’s going to cut through the unctuous richness of whatever that is that you just put into your mouth. A crisp, unoaked Chardonnay ought to do the trick, like the vibrant 2011 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay from New Zealand or the appley 2011 Apaltagua Reserva Unoaked from Chile.

Best beers for last year's Super Bowl match-up

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Best Chicken Wings in the US

Delicious Chicken Wing Recipes

Best Burgers in the US

Best Pizza Place in the US

Ultimate Super Bowl Recipes

Dude - so much Super Bowl food and booze right here

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