There’s lots of feasting in the months ahead. Make your wine selections now

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And so begins another festive season of cocktail parties, celebratory dinners and boozy brunches. Use this guide to start planning your B.C. wine pairings for the following traditional meals

Thanksgiving turkey

Turkey dinner demands a wine that is bright and juicy to cut the richness of the big bird and its accompaniments. For white, think Riesling or other aromatic varieties; for reds, a berry-bright Gamay (Rust Wine Co. and Desert Hills make great versions) or Pinot Noir.

Festive cocktail party

If you’re the host, serve a party wine that’s crowd-pleasing, non-polarizing and reasonably affordable. Pinot Gris is usually a safe bet for whites; for reds, think easygoing blends like Monte Creek’s Hands Up Red or CC Jentsch’s The Chase. If you’re the guest, find out what your host likes best, and bring a bottle of that.

Christmas prime rib roast

A big beef roast demands nothing but the boldest and most luxurious of Bordeaux or Rhône style reds. A luxe blend—Black Hills Nota Bene, Painted Rock Icon, Burrowing Owl Athene—would be ideal, but a single variety Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Syrah can also be a good choice.

Holiday brunch

Brunch means bubbles, of course, and B.C. wineries like Bella, Evolve Cellars and Unsworth Vineyards are producing unpretentious, lightly fruity fizz that would pair nicely with your eggs benny.

New Year’s Eve oysters and caviar

Both of these indulgent treats have a delicately briny note that works best with a crisp, clean, fairly high-acid white such as unoaked Chardonnay, either still or as a sparkler like the Blue Mountain Blanc de Blancs.

Joanne Sasvari

Joanne Sasvari is editor of Vitis and The Alchemist magazines. She also writes about food and drink for WestJet and Vancouver Sun, and is author of the Wickaninnish and Vancouver Eats cookbooks.