These celebratory wines will boost your Christmas menu big time, says Sam Wylie-Harris.

With excitement and temptation at every turn, Christmas entertaining is as much about the wonderful wines on the table as it is the fabulous food.

But with a myriad of styles to choose from, sometimes the safest bet is to stick with the classics and throw in a few good-time wines that offer freshness, spice and all things nice.

Especially when, really, there's no right or wrong or hard and fast rules when it comes to pouring your festive wines (apart from the fact that Slade's Merry Christmas Everybody should probably be playing full blast in the background).

Want the sound of corks popping to rouse your nearest and dearest this Christmas? Here are nine top buys for inspiration...

1. Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV, France (currently reduced to £23 from £33 until December 18, Tesco)

Offering superb value for such brilliant bubbles, this is the fruity, fresh style of champers you want to be drinking on Christmas morning when you're unwrapping pressies.

The festive red collar and band not only looks the part when topping up and clinking glasses, but its fruit forward, citrusy character and exuberant finish make the perfect start to a joyous day of drinking.

2. Co-op Irresistible Gavi Broglia 2017, Italy (£8.50, Co-op stores)

It only takes a little bit of wine wisdom to know you're going to need a good festive all-rounder to complement a table dressed with all those tasty appetisers, and it's no secret that Piedmont is a go-to source for delicious, food-friendly wines.

Made from the local cortese grape, Gavi displays fresh yet rich citrus flavours gilded with white peach and a creamy, honeyed finish - and you can't go wrong with this IWC (International Wine Challenge) Great Value Trophy winner.

3. Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand (£8, Sainsbury's)

Counting down to the main event, seafood starters, such as smoky fish pates, will gain more mileage if they're served with a lively white with cleansing acidity, to cut through the oily texture of the fish.

Fresh and vibrant with an open bouquet of guava, nettles and gooseberry, backed by flashes of herbal and mineral notes, this is a pristine white to wash down with shellfish.

4. Marks & Spencer Domaine Pierre de Prehy Chablis 2016, France (£15, Marks & Spencer stores)

For wine lovers who want to celebrate with chardonnay, this IWC Gold medal winner is a steely gem that loves smoked salmon and won't be overwhelmed by oysters, seared scallops or anything in a creamy sauce.

Unoaked and sporting blossom, honey and citrus aromas and a lively, elegant structure with a fine streak of minerality, the freshness on the finish will leave devotees wanting more of this immaculate white.

5. Spar Languedoc Red 2017, France (£7, Spar stores)

One of the most familiar names in the Languedoc, Domaines Paul Mas has crafted this rock-solid red ,which recently romped home with a Which? Best Buy award.

If ever there was a trusty serve in this price range, that has enough body and grip to cope with a plate piled high with pigs in blankets, fluffy roast potatoes and sweet and sharp sauces, this smooth parcel of hedgerow fruits, with flashes of peppery spice, herbs and vanilla oak, is hard to beat.

6. Trivento Reserve Malbec 2017, Argentina (£8, Tesco)

This terrific malbec offers bags of plummy, blackberry and raspberry fruit in a juicy ripe style, that's punctuated with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla and spice, ending with sweet tannins on the velvety finish.

An easy glugger, it's flowing with yuletide cheer and an excellent choice if you want a young, fruity malbec for a charcuterie board.

7. Lot Series Terra Verde Pinot Noir 2017, Tasmania, Australia (£10.99, Aldi)

When it comes to turkey and all the trimmings, usually anything goes - as it's near to impossible to find a wine to enhance the mild flavour of turkey, cope with the complexity of chestnut stuffing, and match the bright berry notes of cranberry sauce.

But a vibrant, strawberry fruited pinot noir with spice notes, fine tannins and a juicy mouthfeel can be just the ticket, especially a fruit-driven style from Tasmania.

8. Baron de Ley Gran Reserva Rioja 2011, Spain (£22.99, Waitrose)

A wine to swoon over, if you adore the rich, velvety flavours of a mature, oak-aged Rioja with vivid aromas of black cherry, savoury mulberry fruit, sweet spice, liquorice, herbs and toasty oak, this is a glorious glass to herald in the most important meal of the year. Combining power and finesse, this tempranillo temptress will stand up to all the scrumptious bits as well as the bird.

9. The Tanners Six Christmas Gift (£49, tanners-wines.co.uk)

Can't make up your mind? Not to worry, award-winning wine merchants Tanners can take the stress out of Christmas entertaining, with their set of six of their bestselling own labels.

Their half dozen collection includes two new wines - Tanners Spanish Reserva and Australian Shiraz, alongside bestsellers such as Tanners Claret - an especially good choice if the head of the table thinks Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a glass of Bordeaux.