GUESS it's time to start planning Christmas dinner. So, turkey roast and all the trimmings it is then. Excellent, that's that sorted.

But what about the drink?

Well, let's be frank, there are hundreds of recommendations all over various media and, even then, perhaps your best bet is to go with something you already know you like, rather than risk gambling your huge culinary efforts on an unknown tipple.

Still, for what it's worth, here are several suggestions that we'd be more than happy with, none of which break the bank. (Fizz not included this week.)

The first come from the Wine Society, who as usual have a selection of versatile and characterful options for Christmas.

For the main meal we have a Shenandoah Amador County Zinfandel 2015, priced £10.50.

This is a classic rich Zinfandel from California, with sweet and sour cherry cola notes on the nose and a long dark-cherry finish. A full-bodied red, it is great with burgers and steak, but it is also refreshing with very moderate tannins and, for us, really works with roasts and rich trimmings too.

It's also a 14.5 per cent wine so it has the propensity to get you merry and happily falling asleep in front of the telly.

For afters, they stock a lovely Nuy Wyn van Oorsprong Muskadel, priced £10.95.

Little known outside of South Africa, this is a pale-pink strawberry-scented 17 per cent fortified wine which is perfect with chocolate or cheese. It can also be sipped alone chilled, and is worth trying, too, in a tall glass with ice, soda, fresh ginger, a sprig of mint and a squeeze of lemon.

Another good thing about this bottle is that the drink is very durable on opening so can last well into the New Year if, in a fit of Scrooge, you decide you like it too much to share it out.

For a white wine option with your turkey, Majestic stock a Domaine de la Metairie d'Alon 2016 Chardonnay, hailing from the village of Magrie in the Limoux appelation, in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

A 13.5 per cent tipple priced £14.99 (or £12.99 in the Mix Six promotion), this toasty white rivals Chardonnays from the famed Burgundy region, with barrel fermentation resulting in complex flavours of lemon, fresh pastry, vanilla, oak and hazelnut.

It has a pure, fresh acidity which cuts through the richness, and again would complement big festive dishes.

Now, turkey is not a powerful meat so, if you're going to have red, it's usually recommended to go medium-bodied and low tannins.

The aforementioned Zinfandel works in our opinion, but a more common suggestion is a good Pinot Noir.

Waitrose have two such tipples on offer until Boxing Day, both 13.5 per cent wines from New Zealand - the Nanny Goat one from Central Otago, which is down from £19.99 to £14.99, and the Jackson Estate Homestead one from Marlborough, which is down from £13.99 to £10.49.

Central Otago is a high altitude region of climactic extremes which make wine production difficult but, when right, can make for elite tipples. This Nanny Goat features wild berry and bramble fruit with subtle dried herbs, a touch of cocoa and soft silky tannins.

The latter comprises vibrant ripe red fruits, similar dried herbs and a hint of spice, with a rich palate yet a soft finish.