The Wine Society Guide: how to choose the best wines to go with your Christmas feast

'Tis the season of piled up roasted meats, pimped-up greens and pyramids of crispy-skinned potatoes on a spread so lavish it'd make Henry VIII blush.

But as joyful as the jumble of pickled, buttery or bacon-studded veg, decadently stocked cheeseboards and myriad different puds can be, it's a near-impossibility to find a few bottles that will hit the right note with every element.

If you aren't sipping a glass of something fizzy by elevenses, are you sure it's even Christmas? And you can even take your fizz to the table, as its crisp acidity goes well with a smoked salmon starter.

If you’re going veggie, then a Loire sauvignon blanc is perfect with goat’s cheese, or a fruity New Zealand pinot noir will match a mushroom pâté beautifully

Serving seafood with an exotic twist (chilli, lemongrass, lime) then a Marlborough sauvignon has the tropical fruit flavours to take on the Asian influences of the food, spiriting you away to a Christmas

For the main event, let’s talk turkey. Or rather, not! Because however you choose to cook it, it’s the rich character of all the trimmings that dominate, whether the gravy, pigs in blankets, bread sauce, red cabbage, stuffing … the list goes on. You need something big, fruity and juicy – Californian zinfandel is a great shout, with its sweet, juicy red fruit and cherry-cola notes.

If white is more your thing, maybe go for a nutty white Rioja – broad and savoury in its style. Both the zinfandel and white Rioja would be fab with a nut-based vegetarian alternative too.

And what about the pud and the cheeseboard? Rich and sweet is the answer for the former and, if blue cheese is involved, the latter too.

Try a fortified Rivesaltes from the deep south of France near Perpignan or, as mentioned below with the mince pie recipe, an Australian Rutherglen muscat. The sweetness offsets the saltiness of the blue cheese beautifully, and even goes with a chocolate Yule log. Have yourself a very wine-filled Christmas!

Wine to pair with Christmas duck

Trine Hahnemann’s Christmas roast duck with Madiran, Domaine Pichard 2009, £16 The Wine Society

Madiran, from south-west France is a classic match for duck and the trimmings. The deep fruitiness and tannic edge of the tannat grape is perfect for pairing with the duck’s rich fattiness.

Wine to pair with mince pies

Waitrose’s frangipane cranberry mince pies with Stanton and Killeen Rutherglen Muscat, £17 for 37.5cl The Wine Society

This is Christmas in a glass – full of sweet spice, raisin, fruit, coffee and nut flavours, all wrapped up in brown sugar. What’s not to like?

Wine to pair with a light fruit cake

Mary Berry’s easy fruit cake with Moscato d’Asti Elio Perrone 2017, £8.25 The Wine Society

A gently bubbling sweet white at just 5% alcohol is the perfect Boxing Day wind-down glass with a light fruit cake after a bracing walk to stop you from going over the indulgence brink. Beautifully floral and peachy.