He knows a cigar is best paired with some fortified wine.
That brie cheese and Champagne are a match made in heaven.
And that Riesling from Germany, Syrah-Grenache from the South of France, Merlot from the Napa Valley and 20-year-old Tawny Port are tough to identify in a blind tasting.
He is Max Brayer of Kelowna, who recently won the Chaine des Rotisseurs National Competition in Calgary to become Canada's new 'top young sommelier.'
'It felt good," said Brayer, 23, of the contest.
"I gave lots of examples of great wine and menu pairing examples and I was very confident. Then came the blind tasting and I didn't get any of the four. But, I did name four laterals."
What that means is he was close on all four.
Instead of declaring the Riesling was from Germany, he guessed a similarly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
He knew the Syrah-Grenache was a red blend from the South of France, but didn't get the exact varietals right.
He said Malbec from Argentina instead of Merlot from Napa because both are prime New World examples of a Bordeaux varietal.
And for the Tawny Port, he guessed another fortified wine -- Madeira.
However, all was good and he bested the five others in the competition held at the Ranchman's Club in Calgary.
Brayer is a tasting room host and wine shop supervisor at Arrowleaf Cellars in Lake Country.
In 2020, he moved from Edmonton to Kelowna and fell in love with Okanagan wines.
He landed the job at Arrowleaf and earned his Level 1, 2 and 3 WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) certifications, did the sommelier exam and is working on the WSET diploma.
The national win in Alberta means Brayer will represent Canada at the International Young Sommelier Competition in Portugal in October.
The all-expenses-paid journey to Portugal won't just include the contest, but touring wineries and eating and drinking as sommeliers are apt to do.
Chaine des Rotisseurs is the French-founded association of gastronomy that has spread to have chapters in over 75 countries.
Kelowna has a chapter that brings together amateur foodies and wine lovers as well as professional hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs and sommeliers for outings to restaurants.
The Kelowna chapter also organizes public events such as the Kelowna Polo Classic, coming up on June 29-30, and the Valley En Premiere wine-pairing party at the Laurel Packing Housing on April 18.
The Kelowna chapter wanted to have a representative of the city in the national 'top young sommelier' competition, so it started to ask around to see who might be the best candidate.
Someone who works at Quails' Gate Winery in West Kelowna who is taking the same WEST diploma classes as Brayer recommended him.
And then Chaine des Rotisseurs members and the VIP experience manager at Iconic Wineries of BC (MIssion Hill, CedarCreek, Liquidity, Road 13, CheckMate, Martin's Lane and Red Barn), Bram Bolwijn mentored Brayer to prepare for the national competition.
