Here are perfect wines at the LCBO to pair with every type of holiday feast

Two sparklers for happy hour

Holiday feasting usually gets a rolling start. People arrive, maybe in the afternoon. Bubbly is served and the bustle begins.

This lead-up to the meal calls for something light and refreshing, pure-fruited and lively.  prosecco cabernet sauvignon pinot noir

The NV Latte Miele Prosecco DOC Spumante from Italy (LCBO $15.95) fits the occasion because it’s all those things and more. It goes with all salty finger foods. It’s dry but not bone dry. And it subtly and simply lifts the mood and the moment without drawing attention to itself. Perfection. Score: 90

Or get the party started with a drop of proper Champagne with this smart buy: The NV Victoire Brut from France ($43.95 till Dec. 31 reg. $47.95). It’s now the least expensive Champagne at the LCBO — and drop dead delicious. Aromas of baked apples and butter pastry, laced with brown sugar and almond, lead to a crisp attack that quickly starts cascading with crushed biscuit, almond brittle and wet stones. Outstanding value for fine French Champagne. Score: 92

A Chardonnay for roast turkey 

The 2021 Westcott Vineyards Estate Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario (Vintages $29.95) is a perfect match for roast turkey. Each glassful starts with a shy butternut aroma that leads to a wonderfully creamy-rich wash of bright vinosity with glasslike texture. This tightly spun, bone-dry white unspools slowly, nodding toward tart lemon curd, cashew nut, orange zest, caramel and toast with a quiet sifting of limestone on the finish. Delicate, sophisticated expression from Ontario. Can’t go wrong. Score: 91

A Sauvignon Blanc for glazed ham

The salty nature of ham with the sweetness of a glaze pairs beautifully with the high-acid, fruit-forward nature of the recently released 2022 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand (Vintages $26.95). The salted pineapple and green mango aromas that lead to a lively lick of gooseberry-drenched goodness laced with lime sorbet, baked pear, crunchy sea salt and white pepper make this dry white just perfect with the salty-sweet, umami-rich glazed ham. Excellent wine and brilliant pairing. Score: 93

A Portuguese red blend for prime rib

Roast beef, be it prime rib or pot roast, calls for a structured red. An ideal bottle that just hit shelves is the 2017 Quadrus from the Douro, Portugal (Vintages $24.95). This blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriza and Sousão grapes from a hot, dry vintage complements red meat beautifully. Each swirl of the fragrant, purple-black liquid suggests muddled blueberries, cool violets, hazelnuts and sultanas. The entry is smooth and saturated — a suave expression of the Douro that moves with ease from ripe berries to earth to spice to stone. Equal parts power and elegance, this is a fist-full of fruit in a velvet glove. Score: 94

A Pinot Noir for pork tenderloin

For something local, organic and fabulous, uncork the 2021 Hidden Bench Unfiltered Pinot Noir, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario (Vintages Essential $37.95) and pair it with pork. This elegant expression unfurls with raspberry and flint on the nose and palate, layered with light allusions of cranberry, strawberry, violet and tea. A long, languid red that’s lifted, light and just lush enough to enjoy with a splendid slice of white meat. Score: 92

A French red blend for vegan roast with mushroom gravy

If you plan to serve a vegan roast, maybe with a mushroom gravy, play up the earthiness of the meal with a bottle of 2019 Gérard Bertrand “An 1886” Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Aspres Grenache Mourvédre Syrah from France (Vintages $18.95). This undervalued red starts with juicy cherry aromas imbued with blackcurrant liqueur, laced with licorice root and forest floor — like walking in the woods on a summer day. It floods in with easy affability shifting from sweet fruit to savoury notes with a long slow taper. The palate is left seasoned with pralines and cream. This wine is an immediate charmer and total crowd-pleaser. Score: 93

If you choose to serve wine on Dec. 25, all these bottles work well, giving you one less thing to worry about.

And yes, Christmas with the Kranks is worth a watch — it’s funny!