Unless you grew up on a vineyard, are the child of an earl with a sweeping, cavernous wine cellar, or have a savvy qualification, picking plonk is no easy task. No more trying is the pastime than at Christmas, when you've got relatives coming round for a plate of plump roast turkey. What do you pair with your bird? A cheeky Chenin blanc, perhaps? Oh yes, and let's not forget that this year your husband's mum's friend Patricia is coming. She professes to be an expert in all things vintage. Will she sneer at your bottle of Pinot Noir? Who cares if she does. But still, it's advisable to have something affordable, but simultaneously delicious on Christmas Day, isn't it? There are lots of good wine offers – expense doesn't always equate to quality. I asked the major supermarkets to recommend me their best wine choices to accompany Christmas dinner, in three categories – under £5, under £10, and under £20. Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Aldi, Waitrose, and Lidl experts selected their finest white and red wines for each price band, so there really isn't any way Patricia can moan.

Here's the best Christmas wine for 2016... White: Tesco Brut Cava (£5) – Better than cheap prosecco. Red: Tesco Duoro (£5) – Something a little different from Portugal. White: Giesen Estate Sauvignon Blanc (£8) – Strong with smoked salmon, but also fine with turkey. Red: Tesco finest* Montagne St Emilion (£8) – Classic. what type of wine is best with pizzaWhite: Tesco finest* Chablis Premier Cru (£12) – Quite posh for £12. best wine in nice franceRed: Tesco finest* The Trilogy Malbec (£11) – Might get a hint of chocolate, you know. good wine to drink with fruitWhite: Penguins Sands Chardonnay (£3.75) - Very simple and inoffensive. shop red wine online india

Red: Wild Valley Red (£3.75) – So juicy and forest fruity. White: Taste the Difference German Mosel Pinot Blanc 2015 (£7) – A pleasant alternative to pricey Chablis. Red: Taste the Difference Beaujolais-Villages Coteaux Gratiniques 2015 (£9) – Oh yes, spicy and festive. Ask your annoying uncle to read out the name. best winery tours new zealandWhite: Taste the Difference Pouilly-fuisse (£16) – Dry and crisp and sure to impress. average price of box of wineRed: Sainsbury's Gigondas, Taste the Difference (£13) – Actually a bit of a bargain, this. White: The Exquisite Collection Muscadet Sevre et Maine (£4.99) – Aldi's Exquisite Collection has been highly praised by critics. Red: Cotes Du Rhone Villages (£3.99) – This can't hurt, can it? White: The Exquisite Collection Clare Valley Riesling (£6.99) – A little sweeter, so daringly good with both rich meat and vinegary cabbage.

Red: Meadowhawk Californian Zinfandel (£6.99) – If American wines are your thing... White: Andre Vannier Chablis Grand Cru (£19.99) – Drink this immediately after bubbles. Or in the bath. Red: Domaine Chateauneuf-du-Pape (£14.99) – Better with beef than turkey, really. But nobody's stopping you either way. White: Les Petites Baies Chardonnay Viognier Pays d’Oc (£4.99) – Viognier is a personal favourite. So fresh and easy. Red: Cepa Lebrel Rioja (£3.99) – Won't taste of much, but it'll keep you happy later on. White: Fief des Pierres Blanches Quincy 2015 (£8.99) – Bloomin' marvellous with a mouthful of gravy soaked potatoes. Or most other things on your Christmas table for that matter. Red: Glorioso Rioja Reserva 2012 (£9.99) – Be bold. Sometimes it's worth it. White: Comte de Senneval Champagne Grand Cru NV (£18.99) – Nicer than a lot of what the famous champagne houses put out. Sure, it's no Krug, but it's worth the price and then some. Red: Close Sainte Anne Pomerol (£14.99) – If I use the word elegant in this, it's now.

Sorry, but this is in fact elegant. You could even talk about gentle aromas, or notes of leather and tobacco too if you like...it's best you don't, though, isn't it? How long does roast turkey take? Christmas Dinner leftover recipes How to make Christmas cookies How to make cranberry gin Mary Berry's Christmas pudding recipe How to cook a Christmas turkey Mary Berry's Christmas cake recipe How to make Christmas pudding White: Cantina di Soave Veneto (£4.99) – Soave doesn't mean suave. But it is refined for under a fiver. People like to use that when describing wine. Red: Cuvée Chasseur Vin de France (£4.99) – This is from the Languedoc, which is full of good, affordable wine. White: Waitrose White Burgundy (£8.99) – All fragrant and grapey (another word people like to use when talking wine). Red: Waitrose Romanian Pinot Noir Dealu Mare (£5.99) – Romanian Pinot Noir is (still) a hidden gem. White: Broglia Gavi di Gavi, Piedmont (£14.99) – Gavi, a wine for people who like to think they know about wine.

It means it's good, but not worth talking about. Red: Joseph Drouhin Chorey-lès-Beaune (£17.49) – This is a bio-dynamic wine from an organic vineyard. It's peppery and you might get some cherry flavours. White: Asda Extra Special Viognier (£5) – Here's our old friend Viognier. Seriously, you should drink this. Red: Wine Atlas Bobal (£4.78) – A Spanish red. Vibrant (nearly finished, I promise). White: Marsanne (£5.78) – Citrus Mediterranean vibes from France. Red: Burdizzo Chianti Riserva (£6.98) – Finally, a Chianti! You might usually have this with steak, but this one is a little lighter. White: Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc (£11) – This is usually £13, so a deal worth noting. It's intense and floral. Red: ASDA Extra Special El Meson Rioja Gran Reserva (£10.98) – Merry Christmas! What is the Christmas story? Last Christmas posting dates When is last day to order online? Best wine, beer, champagne and proseccoFood & DrinkGreat Affordable Wines for Your Thanksgiving DinnerAlicia AdamczykWith the turkey to prep, pies to bake, and potatoes to mash, it's easy to overlook the wine pairings for your Thanksgiving feast until a last-minute scramble before guests arrive.

A sparkling white for the first course? A deep red to accompany the bird? And what to serve to impress cousin Dave, the requisite family wine snob (seriously, Dave, who swirls and sniffs at family get-togethers)?Most important, how can you avoid spending a fortune on all that wine, especially since prices of everything else in the Thanksgiving meal are consistently on the rise?Never fear, great wine doesn't have to be expensive—or complicated. Rather than indulging in a few high priced bottles (or a case of Two-Buck Chuck) your wine choices really only need to reflect your Thanksgiving table: varied and plentiful. Katie Delaney Owen, wine director of Club W, an online wine retailer, suggests providing a broader range at a lower price point (say $13 to $25), so everyone has something to choose from."Thanksgiving is the most food- and wine-centric holiday, so I like to experiment," says Club W's associate winder director Brooke Matthias It's hard to go wrong, she says: "Pretty much every wine is going to go with something on your table."

With that in mind, let's uncork some suggestions.To kick off the festivities, Delaney Owen and Matthias suggest starting with light wines and moving into fuller-bodied as the evening progresses. A sparkling wine or prosecco pairs perfectly with hors d'oeuvres like charcuterie, cheese, or tarts. "Sparkling wets your palate and gets it ready for the more intense wine and food," Matthias says.She suggests Oh Snap! Sparkling Chenin Blanc, $16 , a light, dry white that she describes as "sweet, but not too sweet."RelatedDiet/NutritionHere’s Why It Feels Like You Always Have Room for Dessert Diet/NutritionHere’s Why It Feels Like You Always Have Room for DessertYou might also want to try a sparkling red this holiday season. The reds, like Lambrusco, shot up in popularity over the summer in the States (and across the pond too: according to The Daily Mail, orders of Lambrusco were up 150% year-over-year), and are typically dryer with a higher alcohol content than their paler counterparts.

Salads and Starters: Light WhiteA lighter, fruitier white, like Sauvignon Blanc, pairs well with typical Thanksgiving salad ingredients such as goat cheese and cranberries. Matthias recommends 2014 Blue Highway, $13.The Main Event: Pinot Noir and/or ChardonnayTurkey, stuffing, roasted vegetables: You're going to want a fuller-bodied red to accent your savory meal. Pinot Noir is the classic choice here, and there are a number of good, affordable bottles to choose from at pretty much any wine shop.Another suggestion: Branch out and try a Valdiguié, a lesser-known red that both Delaney Owen and Matthias praised. "You don’t see it very often, and we like doing things that are a little cheeky, a little more unique," Matthias says.For those who prefer white, Mike Zima, the founder of SommPicks, suggests the 2014 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Les Moulins. At $29, it's a little on the expensive side, but the 100% Chenin Blanc pairs well with turkey and rich, starchy fixings. "There is a great play between the tangy, waxy fruit, and the zip and mineral component of the wine," he explains.

Chardonnay, too, will hold up well with the food and flavors.The folks at Club W and Zima suggest bringing Champagne as a token of your appreciation. "Everyone likes to get a bottle of Champagne," says Delaney Owen. While you can't go wrong if you look for the classic méthode champenoise on the label, Matthias suggests searching out "boutique-y," smaller brands, which will often be more complex and unique for the same price as a name brand's bottle.Really trying to impress someone? Zima recommends the 2002 Louis Casters Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, $45. " Given the persistence and depth here, this wine overdelivers at the price point," he says.And if you still have a few more dollars to spend, Zima also likes the 2013 Jean Foillard Morgon Corcelette, $35, which he describes as "supple, persistent, complex and dangerously gulpable." Thanksgiving and Beaujolais "are about as classic a wine pairing as any," he says, "so why mess with what works?"If You Can Only Have One: Sparkling or Pinot NoirIf your budget is tight, make your one bottle a sparkling wine or Pinot Noir.