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Wine: Red or white with your festive feast? You decide...

Co-op Irresistible Gavi Broglia 2017, Italy (£8.50, Co-op stores)
Co-op Irresistible Gavi Broglia 2017, Italy (£8.50, Co-op stores) Co-op Irresistible Gavi Broglia 2017, Italy (£8.50, Co-op stores)

There’s no right or wrong or hard and fast rules when it comes to pouring your festive wines, so here’s a few for inspiration...

Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV, France (currently reduced to £23 from £33 until December 18, Tesco): Offering great value for such brilliant bubbles, this is the fruity, fresh style of champers you want to be drinking on Christmas morning. The festive red collar and band not only looks the part but its fruit forward, citrusy character and exuberant finish make the perfect start to a joyous day of drinking.

Co-op Irresistible Gavi Broglia 2017, Italy (£8.50, Co-op stores)

It only takes a little bit of wine wisdom to know you’re going to need a good festive all-rounder to complement a table dressed with all those tasty appetisers, and it’s no secret that Piedmont is a go-to source for delicious, food-friendly wines. Made from the local Cortese grape, Gavi displays fresh yet rich citrus flavours gilded with white peach and a creamy, honeyed finish – and you can’t go wrong with this International Wine Challenge Great Value Trophy winner.

WINE OF THE WEEK

Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand (£8, Sainsbury’s). Counting down to the main event, seafood starters, such as smoky fish patés, will gain more mileage if they’re served with a lively white with cleansing acidity, to cut through the oily texture of the fish. Fresh and vibrant with an open bouquet of guava, nettles and gooseberry with herbal and mineral notes, this is a perfect white to wash down with shellfish.