IT'S that time of year when a good old curry takeaway is not only tasty and fun but highly necessary to warm us up. (With poppadoms and pickle tray, obviously.)

But what do you drink with it, and is wine a good option? Some say you have to stick with lager - but we say poppycock.

What wine may depend on which dishes you get - it's harder to match with a painfully hot number, for example.

The most common line of thinking, though, is to go with something that offers a cool, crisp contrast to the dish (hence lager being so popular), while a little sweetness and a palate-cleansing acidity often helps.

What you shouldn't have, we're often told, is a heavy red high in tannin, oakiness or alcohol as that can dry the mouth, compete with the spice, ramp up the heat and make the whole experience uncomfortable.

That said, my Indian mate Norm loves an oaky red Rioja or two with his family recipes, and not just when its a meaty dish with a tomato base like rogan josh. (Norm's not his real name by the way - he apparently just looked like Norman Bates as a kid.)

A regular white wine suggestion is Riesling, usually off-dry, certainly alongside chicken or fish. Strong fruity roses (not insipid ones) also work well, as can a fruity Chardonnay with milder or creamier dishes.

But for us, a preferred white option is often a Gewurztraminer, and a decent one at a reasonable price is the Turckheim, down from £10.99 to £8.79 at Waitrose until November 28.

Gewurztraminer is an aromatic pinky grape usually grown in cooler climates, which has high natural sugar and a flamboyant bouquet of lychees and sometimes floral notes.

This Turckheim tipple isn't the most saccharine you'll find but its touch of sweetness balances well with its freshness, and it cleanses the palate too in readiness for the next forkful.

A less well-known option, but one which comes with a good recommendation, meanwhile, is Royal Tokaji's Dry Tokaji.

Hailing from Hungary (from one of the world's top 100 wineries, according to Wine & Spirits magazine) and made from the little-known Furmint grape, it's a dry 13 per cent white which balances fine green fruit and herbal flavours with a touch of oak.

That might suggest it's no good for curry - but it worked for us, helped by its crisp cleansing acidity. If it doesn't fit with your dish, have it as a lovely aperitif instead. It's available a Majestic for £9.99 or £8.99 with the mix six deal.

Turning to red but sticking with less well-known options, a fruity, fresh one to have with your spicy curry is the Morandé Reserva One To One Pais, also available from Majestic for £8.99 or £7.99 with mix six.

The easy-growing Pais grape, often harvested in high yields, made for a good table wine for centuries, but producers have more recently been driven by quality over quantity.

This one, hailing from the Maule Valley in Chile, is part of Vina Morandé's One To One series comprising wines from low-yielding vineyards (where one vine makes one bottle - hence the name).

What you get is a Beaujolais-type light fruity red with a slightly savoury finish. Beaujolais is very flexible when it comes to food pairing, and the tart acidity and minimal tannin, and the fact it works well chilled, offers that good contrast to your curry.

Vina Morandé, as it happens, also make a good Gewurztraminer, which is rare for Chile. Perhaps there's a decent Indian takeaway nearby.