What's your pleasure?

When asked to produce an article about Christmas wines it is very tempting to go down the traditional party line. A Chablis with the smoked salmon, a big classic red and then port with the cheese, and so on.

But actually, is this really the right convention to follow?

There are debates to be had and many opinions offered, so let me express a few thoughts and provoke some discussion.

How important is Christmas to you? I am not talking religion here but, in reality, people spend Christmas in so many different ways.

For some, it is a big happy family affair with a full house and chaos to boot, for others it is a quiet time with no fuss, or even a trip to the sun. Then there are many who find the whole Christmas experience a complete chore they could happily do without, so dishing out hard and fast rules on the wine front would be foolish.

I always reckon the best wine should be drunk at home in your own company or that of a good appreciative friend. This partly avoids paying grossly-inflated restaurant prices but it also gives you the opportunity to savour each mouthful and appreciate what you are drinking.

However, with an army of distant cousins, uncles, aunts and assorted siblings all descending on you, is this really the time to be reaching for that special wine when most around will not know the difference between Pauillac and Pinot Grigio? Why waste it?

I certainly know one person who always keeps his good bottle hidden in the kitchen while serving something cheaper to the assembled masses! On the other hand, enjoying and briefly discussing a fine wine can bring equal pleasure to both the host and guests.

On a more serious note, perhaps we should examine more carefully what we traditionally drink at Christmas and why.

Certainly Champagne is a very good start to Christmas Day and sets the tone for a special occasion. But it might well be worth considering good quality sparkling wine which in many cases, represents much better value than cheap Champagne.

Excellent examples come from New Zealand and Australia and you will not have to pay more than a tenner if you look around. Cheap supermarket Cava can be a disappointment, but there are classic sparklers like Cremant de Bourgogne or Blanquette de Limoux if you are firmly in the French camp.

If having pre-lunch/dinner nibbles, a crisp dry white works best. You could try the classic Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, or save a bit of money and go for the often excellent country cousin, Sauvignon de Touraine.

New Zealand of course offers great value but a good deal of very inexpensive juice is floating around at the moment due to a year of overproduction but some of it is really rather unpleasant, so choose some well known names to be sure of getting the quality.

However I could throw a spanner in the works and suggest a dry rosé wine such as one from Provence.

These wines are making a great comeback but avoid new world rosé which is usually too rich and sweet.

The Provence style is full of complex minerality and can be a delight with or without food.

As regards the main meal which I assume will probably be Turkey you have to be quite careful. So often people choose a really rich heavy Shiraz or a top Bordeaux but so often these flavours get lost with all the strong tastes associated with a Christmas main course.

The meal can be rich, oily and greasy and will all sorts of added flavours such as bread sauce and cranberry.

Bordeaux wines go better with beef and older vintages of this and Burgundy are possibly more suited to game.

It is important not to set up a fight between the food and drink so why not think of something a little lighter.

Some suggestions would include New World Pinot Noir,lesser Rhone appellations,or even a Fleurie or other Beaujolais cru.

Another idea is Portugal. There are so many good wines being made and many of the old port producers are now concentrating more on still wine production than fortified.

As regards what to drink after the Christmas meal I have to say that I love an old-fashioned dessert wine but whatever happens do not skimp on price here.

While top Sauternes may be out of your reach look at Monbazillac or new world Riesling or Semillon.

You need a wine with good acidity but also some complexity. If in doubt take advice! Of course you can have port instead or perhaps now is the time for that rich Shiraz.

It is your choice — and I am strongly of the view that you drink what you like when you like but one thing is for sure — you will sleep well.

But please wait till the end of the meal!