For the best roast turkey - with a faster cooking time and lower risk of infection - cook it separate from the stuffing. The breast meat can be prone to dryness if overcooked, but covering the bird with bacon during roasting can fix this. A more decadent way is to let foie gras melt under the skin, flavouring the bird with succulent goose fat. The best wine with a festive turkey should be good enough to share with family and friends.
Plunkett Gewurztraminer 2004, Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria, Australia
The smell of gewurztraminer can range from perfumed roses to tropical aromas, but the most prominent is that of the lychee. This Plunkett is dry, so it's flavourful but crisp. The flavours aren't overpowering, which makes it ideal for a festive food spread: it's sensual with smoked salmon. The palate is fruity, dry and long lasting. It's rich enough to cut through traditional turkey and gravy, and the dry, fruity notes would work well with a Moroccan cous-cous stuffing.
Available for $181 from Kedington (tel: 2898 9323)
Louis Latour Puligny- Montrachet 1er Cru 2001, Burgundy, France
Make sure you have a few extra bottles of this in the fridge for the white wine fans. If you ask a Burgundian winemaker what is the difference between chardonnay, the grape and the wine (and village), Puligny Montrachet, he will either throw you out of his cottage or give you a lecture on history, geology and culture that will last for about five days. The fact that chardonnay is Burgundy's main white grape is almost casually ignored by the multitude of regionally proud artisans. The difference between Puligny and the village next to it, Chassagne, which is 10 minutes by bike, is huge. Puligny is often restrained with more linear structure, while Chassagne is fuller on the mid-palate and more voluptuous. Be sure to tell your guest that this premier cru is made from grapes gathered from second to top vineyards. Make this your Christmas white wine. It works especially well with foie gras flavoured turkey.