It’s time to talk wines with Christmas lunch. That wonderful time of year when everyone suddenly expects you to be a wine genius, choosing the perfect wines for the biggest meal of the year. No pressure then.

I've had my fair share of Christmas wine disasters – I’ve done the turbo charged Aussie Shiraz like that completely bulldozed poor Mum's carefully prepared turkey into oblivion. But let's start with something that's pretty much bombproof: fizz.

The go to for many is Champagne – it’s Christmas, you want to treat yourself, and that’s the logical step beyond Prosecco. Nobody's going to complain, but how about an English sparkling wine?  Really good ones are being made not just in Sussex and Kent but in Bucks, Berks, Hampshire and as far down as Cornwall, and they’re properly good now – not in a "good for English wine" way, but in a "blow me down, this is actually fantastic" way. Grab a bottle of the Simpsons on my website or go to your supermarket for Nyetimber Classic Cuvée (on at Waitrose for just £28.99 a bottle) and watch your guests' faces when you tell them it's English.  Some well informed ones won’t be at all surprised.  And if you want a real bargain then Chapel Down from Kent is just £21.99 at Waitrose at the moment and it’s completely … lush.  Both these and other great examples combine delicious brioche like flavours with zingy citrus acidity that matches a cold Christmas morning just brilliantly.

And then it’s to the main event and for that I’m talking Turkey with all the trimmings – red cabbage, stuffing, pigs in blankets … the lot.  Do you go white or red?  Well of course you go red but we always have a few at our table who like white and, to be honest, I like to mix and match too.  So my advice is, go both ways.

A white Burgundy is your friend here – something like a delicious Macon Villages or Saint Veran or maybe stretching to a Meursault if you're feeling flush.  The thought process is that it’s got enough body to handle all the trimmings so you’ll be fine with a rich Viognier, or a Chardonnay from the New World, just something without too much acidity and with a bit of weight.  No Sauvignon Blanc for example.  And the trick is to get it out of the fridge about half an hour before you need it – you don’t want teeth-chatteringly cold wine with your warm Christmas lunch.

And then there's the red question.  The wines to avoid here are the young, tannic monsters that make everything feel like you were chewing a tea bag. Instead head for softer wines such as Pinot Noir from Burgundy or California and Rioja too.  Get yourself a good Reserva or a Gran Reserva that's got a few years bottle age under its belt and the tannins will have softened up to reveal gorgeous leather and vanilla notes that sing all of your favourite carols with the turkey.

My tip, – open everything well before you need it.  Wine needs time to wake up.  And taste the bottles too if you can.  Christmas day is not a day for corked wine.

And then there’s the Christmas pud – that cannon ball of dried fruit and booze – and you need something that can stand up to it.  I’d always go with a pud wine with a bit of grunt.  A Tokaji is completely delicious here.  Make sure it’s 5 puttonyos which is their sweetest and best, sweet wines from Graves are good too, and a fair bit more affordable than Sauternes or Hungary. For the red fanatics you can of course go Port.  I love a tawny port, served slightly cool.  The coolness keeps it fresh and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find it very difficult not to empty the bottle.

The thing is, Christmas wine isn't really about perfect pairings.  In fact, there is no perfect pairing with the food.  It has every flavour possible on one plate.  There is however a perfect pairing for the company.  It's about opening bottles that make you all smile, that add to the general fuzzy feeling of the day and if aunt Martha only drinks Pinot Grigio, then make sure you’ve got a £4.99 special in the fridge.  That way, everybody will be happy.

If after reading all this you're head is feeling a bit fried I've tried to make my own life a bit easier by building some Christmas boxes which should hit everything you need for an easy life or an easy gift, either in 2, 3, 6 or 12 bottle cases.