While finesse is a word we associate with blanc de blancs, there are great, powerful and gastronomic Chardonnay styles too. Jacquesson’s exotically fruity, oak-lined and spicy blanc de blancs single-vineyard Avize Champ Caïn 2009 is perfect for fried or grilled white fishes. Oak can bring a beautiful textural vinosity and gastronomic quality to Champagne. The fruity and vivacious Bollinger PN TX17 NV goes well with roast chicken or turkey, while if you’ve added flavour to the dish via a rich sauce or glaze, Billecart-Salmon Sous Bois Brut NV is your perfect choice.

The earthy flavours of mushroom and game birds are best paired with blanc de noirs. Fine lighter styles include Pommery Blanc de Noirs NV and De Venoge Princes Blanc de Noirs NV, whereas more vinosity, depth and spicy layers can be found in Collery Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru NV, Brice Héritage Blanc de Noirs NV and Philipponnat’s La Rémissonne 2009.

Rosé Champagne offers a wealth of versatility in terms of food pairing. In its light, toasty layers and textured vinosity Bruno Paillard’s elegant and silky Première Cuvée Rosé NV is the perfect choice for cold or warm smoked salmon. With some more power and character, Henri Giraud’s sandstone-amphorae-fermented Dame-Jane Rosé NV matches impeccably with charcuterie and roasted root vegetables.

If your holiday season means big family gatherings, a magnum is the perfect size for impressing loved ones. Alfred Gratien Brut 2007 in magnum is gloriously complex with age, with perfectly integrated oak flavours to crown your Christmas turkey or ham. And Palmer & Co’s pure and toast-complexed Grands Terroirs Brut 2012 in magnum is a gastronomic chameleon, a pleasure to savour with everything from aperitifs to cheeses.

Few people turn to it, but cheese and Champagne can be a match made in heaven. The crisp acidity and fluffy mousse will lighten the fattiness of the cheeses without overpowering them aromatically. Drappier’s fun curiosity, the 100% Pinot Gris Trop M’En Faut NV, pairs well with younger and milder cheeses whereas hard, mature ones deserve a more powerful cuvée. Open a bottle of Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2013 or Gosset 12 ans de Cave a Minima NV and you’ll be in heaven.

Read more: The Champagne Report 2022

Matching dessert and Champagne is where your need to exercise caution, as most Champagnes are too dry for truly sweet dishes. Piper-Heidsieck’s long-aged Sublime Demi-Sec NV is a charmer in its generosity and glorious burned-sugar aromatics; make a less-sweet, gingerbread-flavoured crispy crème brûlée to accompany it.

And once you’re done with the day’s indulgence and just want to sit in front of the fire and sink into a good book, a meditation Champagne is required. I’ll be turning to the yeast-complexed and ethereal Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 2004 or the sleek and soulful Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé 2013 for maximum pleasure.