The variety of foods and flavors that usually make their way onto the Christmas table can make picking out the right type of wine a daunting task. Offering some tips on how to select the best bottles of wine for your Christmas gathering is Laura Maniec, Director of Wine and Spirits for B.R. Guest restaurants and Master Sommelier.

Maniec is the 18th female in the world to hold the Master Sommelier distinction, and at 29, the youngest active Master Sommelier in the world. Naturally, she is always in charge of wine at her family parties, and has mastered the fine art of pleasing everyone.

According to Maniec, sometimes the best thing to do if you are hosting a big group of people is buy a case of a neutral wine that will pair well with many different foods. You can't try to pair different wines with all the different foods or courses without driving yourself mad, and going for the case is generally cheaper too!

One such wine is a Chablis from France. This white wine is made from Chardonnay grapes and is dry with fruity notes. Chablis wines go for about $20 a bottle.

Another great bottle is Madeira wine from Portugal. Lighter Madeiras go great with cheese and appetizers, while the heavier bottles work as a great post-dinner drink. One big perk to these wines is that they don't need to age and they never go bad. So if you don't finish it all during the first party, you can take your time drinking what's left.

"It is hard to pair sweet wine with sweet food," says Maniec, adding that the two often negate each other. Instead, she suggests choosing a port wine to pair with desserts.

A Ruby or Chocolate Port will pair well with your pies or decorated sugar cookies without competing with their sweetness. A Ruby Port has hints of blackberry and blueberry and it is both rich and sweet enough to enjoy with many different desserts.

Source: http://news.holidash.com