A chilled glass of vintage Champagne, served promptly on arriving home from church. A thimble of sherry to mark the hour before lunch, or a bottle of Sauternes, passed around after the Christmas pudding.

Whatever your tipple, the festive season is the one time when we have a genuine reason to splash out on that special bottle to mark the end of year and celebrate with a swathe of parties, dinner and drinks.

Buying wine for the holiday season can be fiendishly complicated, as one has to balance the pressures of serving wine on its own or for a drinks party, or merely having something in the fridge when the neighbors pop round for a drink.

Then there is the food itself and the art of buying wine to serve with a variety of dishes from turkey, goose and ham to cold meats, sausages and fish.

This year I have tried to create a simple list that will meet your every need.

One danger of the holiday season is that of palate fatigue, particularly as wine is now so much stronger than it was. Gone are the days when a standard-issue white wine hovered around the 11% mark; now you are much more likely to find something 12.5% or even higher. That is why I have included the alcohol percentages and have attempted to choose a range of levels, from a wonderful 11% Vinho Verde from northern Portugal to the opulent delights of a 14.5% Bordeaux blend from South Africa.

Christmas Day can be such an onslaught that I tend to favor wines that lift my mood, complement the food and inspire conversation. I find these more often in the vineyards of Europe and I make no apology that that is where the majority of my wines come from. One of my favorite discoveries this year has been the searingly dry Vin Jaune, made in France's Jura region in much the same way as sherry.

Further afield, we have wines from Napa, Stellenbosch and even Lebanon for entertaining, enjoying with Christmas lunch or simply sharing with the family.

SPARKLING

Below GBP 10

Easy on the wallet

Lindauer Special Reserve

NV 12%

New Zealand

A hugely reliable sparkling wine from New Zealand. It has an attractive mouth-filling bite and a biscuity flavor. Cracking value.

GBP 10-GBP 20

Brut NV, 12.5%

Bouvet-Ladubay

Saumur, Loire, France

The Loire is a good source of reasonably priced sparkling wine. This has a subtle, delicate feel with a perfumed, flowery nose and a fresh, spicy, mineral finish.

GBP 25-GBP 50

Brut Reserve NV, 12.5%

Pol Roger

Epernay, France

There are a number of equally famous non-vintage Champagnes on the market but Pol Roger has a dryness and finesse I find particularly suited to grand feasts such as Christmas.

Above GBP 50

One from the cellar

Champagne La Grande Annee 1990, 13%

Bollinger

Ay, Champagne, France

A grand, bold wine, this is more digestif than aperitif, with warming, round notes of mature yeast and mushrooms. Very intense.

WHITES

Below GBP 10

Easy on the wallet

Vinho Verde 2009, 11%

Quinta de Azevedo

Portugal

From a much underrated wine region in the north of Portugal, this white has an incredibly fresh character with a fragrant floral nose that immediately lifts the spirits. The dry, crisp finish makes it a wonderful aperitif.

GBP 10-GBP 20

Chateau Musar 2003, 13%

Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

It is the red wines that have won this estateinternationalacclaim, but the whites shouldn't be overlooked. Nutty and rich in style with a generous citrus kick, this is best served at room temperature.

GBP 25-GBP 50

HdV Chardonnay 2007, 14%

Hyde de Villaine Napa, California

A joint venture between Domaine de la Romanee-Conti's co-directors Aubert and Pamela de Villaine and the Hyde family from Napa. Slightly more Burgundian in character, this has a vegetal, super-fine feel with an oily finish.

Above GBP 50

One from the cellar

Puligny-Montrachet 2000, 13%

Etienne Sauzet

Cote-d'Or, France

Sauzet's Puligny-Montrachet takes on a delicate, nuanced character. Drinking now, with time in the glass, the wine takes on an appealing creamy nuttiness with just a trace of honey.

REDS

Below GBP 10

Easy on the wallet

Vieilles Vignes 2009, 12.5%

Alain Chatoux

Beaujolais, France

Beaujolais is a superb Christmas Day wine as its ripe, bright fruit and light, racy acidity refresh rather than fatigue the palate. The '09 is an exceptional vintage and this is a wonderful example.

GBP 10-GBP 20

John X Merriman 2007, 14.5%

Rustenberg, Stellenbosch

A Bordeaux blend made in South Africa, this appeals with its Old World-style nose with notes of cedar, tobacco leaf and dark berry. On the palate it is distinctly South African, with juicy cherryflavors.

GBP 25-GBP 50

Chateau Gruaud Larose 2004, 13%

Saint Julien, Bordeaux, France

Gruaud Larose in recent vintages has taken on a powerful, blackcurrant, dry character. The '04 is a restrained vintage, with a grippy tannic structure, power and suppleness.

Above GBP 50

One from the cellar

Opus One 1987, 12.5%

Napa, California

This is a vintage coming to its peak. Very much old-style Opus One, its nose is replete with cedar and cigar box while the palate has vibrant acidity.

SWEET & FORTIFIED

Below GBP 10

Easy on the wallet

Emilio Lustau Oloroso 20%

Cadiz, Spain 37.5cl

A reliable sherry from one of Spain's great sherry bodegas. This has an attractive, nutty quality with a searingly dry finish.

GBP 10-GBP 20

Grahams 'The Tawny' Port 20%

Douro, Portugal

Tawny ports are aged in wood, which gives them a drier quality. This tawny has lots of dried fruit flavors with notes of almond and marmalade and a mouth-filling, layered finish.

GBP 25-GBP 50

Vin Jaune, Clos des Grives, 1998, 13.5%

Cotes du Jura, France

This largely forgotten wine from the Jura region in France makes for a wonderful winter aperitif or digestif. Produced from the Savagnin grape it is searingly dry, making it a good match with hard cheeses.

Above GBP 50

One from the cellar

Chateau Guiraud 2003 13%

Sauternes, France

Drinking Guiraud, one of Sauternes' better wines, is always a real treat. The '03 is beautifully honeyed, with an added spicy complexity.