'Tis the party season

Choose your party wines with care and keep them light, fruity and refreshing rather than austere or overly alcoholic

YOUR GUESTS WILL be arriving with empty stomachs and fresh taste buds; that means they really will notice the quality of wine you are serving. Unless you are on a very stringent budget, it is worth paying a little more. Thin acidic whites and scrawny dry reds will not put a smile on anyone's face, so try to trade up a little.

All of Domini Kemp's canapés (see previous pages) pack in plenty of flavour, so you will need a wine with generous quantities of fruit. To kick-start the palate, the ideal white wine is light and fresh, but not too acidic.

You want something medium-bodied and rich in flavour, but nothing that will overpower. Try to avoid wines with any oak ageing, or too much alcohol. Sparkling wine adds a festive touch, but again make sure it has some fruit.

Some of your guests will look for red wine, so have something fairly light, fruity and soft on hand. This is not the time to open up your expensive (but tannic) Bordeaux, or a blockbuster at 15 per cent alcohol.

If the weather turns cold, a warming glass of mulled wine can be delicious. It is easy to make your own; I find a dollop of port at the very end makes it even better.

Sparkling wine

Prosecco is great, but there are plenty of other really good bottles of sparkling wines out there, so this Christmas, why not experiment a little? I have recommended the Jacob's Creek Sparkling before, and I still reckon it is one of the very best value bottles of fizz on the market. However, I was very taken with the two bottles of French sparkling wine below.

White wine

I find that Sauvignon, Pinot Gris and Riesling all work very well with finger food, particularly if they have a little sweetness on the finish. A slightly more adventurous choice if you're feeling that way inclined would be a Grüner Veltliner from Austria, which goes really well with slightly spicy food, or maybe a Verdejo from Rueda.

Red wine

Try to avoid the really tannic grapes such as Cabernet. Beaujolais, lighter Rhônes and Languedocs are options, as are Crianza Rioja and Valpolicella. With new world wines, head for Pinot Noir or Merlot, leaving the bigger wines for later in the evening.