Every year, wine columnists know one surety: They have to write a column about what wine to choose with Christmas dinner.

And it is an interesting topic, for the typical American Christmas dinner is such a hodgepodge of wonderful flavors that it’s difficult to choose one wine that works with all its tasty elements: sweet potatoes, brown sugar and marshmallows, delicate white turkey, roasted turkey skin, dark turkey meat, gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, creamed onions, and probably more.

If we were like Italians, eating one course at a time, the process would be simpler, but most families serve everything except the dessert at once.

Because it’s a festive time with the family and friends, moreover, most people want to serve a special wine, but in truth, the typical Christmas dinner isn’t the best time for that expensive old Bordeaux or Cabernet. It’s probably a better time to enjoy a relatively modest, uncomplicated wine, preferably one with a lot of fresh fruitiness.

I always like to start with a nice sparkling wine, and there are many possibilities from America as well as Europe including Champagne. All the sparklers from French and Spanish-owned wineries in America like Roederer Estate, Domaine Chandon, Gloria Ferrer and Domaine Carneros are excellent, as are Schramsberg, Mumm Cuvée Napa, J and Iron Horse. Gallo’s Indigo Hills, Korbel and Domaine Michelle from Washington are excellent in a lower price range.

People debate endlessly about whether to serve red or white with turkey, but the turkey is the least of the flavors. Other tastes predominate. One easy solution is to serve both red and white, of course.

A rich California Chardonnay is an perfect choice, though it’s a wine hard to match with many foods. The oaky, buttery flavors compliment the meal, as does the real or perceived sweetness of many like Kendall-Jackson’s Vintner’s Reserve or Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay. Chardonnays from Monterey County are perfect. Rieslings are a fine alternative, though Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Grigios, my favorite white food wines, are generally too delicate for this task.

Among reds, nothing beats a good Pinot Noir, whether from Burgundy or one of the many from California or Oregon. It’s only recently that California growers and winemakers have conquered this demanding grape, but now most producers make fine examples. In a reasonable price range, Beaulieu Coastal and Beringer Founders are good choices. So are Monterra, Estancia and many others.

Syrah is California ? and Washington’s? latest wine craze, and for good reason. Syrah is an excellent food wine. Though Syrahs from cool and warm climates differ in fruitiness or richness, both are excellent, tasty wines without the harsh tannins or Cabernets and even Merlot. Syrahs from the Rhône Valley of France are excellent alternatives. A lighter Zinfandel also works, but many are too assertive and alcoholic.

Wine snobs might sneer, but a good white Zinfandel also works well with a Christmas dinner, particularly if your guests and family aren’t wine nuts. Sutter Home invented the white wine made from red grapes, and its version remains one of the best, perceptively sweet but not cloying.

Sparkling wines are festive with the meal, but they tend to be filling, hardly ideal with a Christmas dinner.

Another excellent and historic choice is apple wine ? sparkling hard cider. Most are lightly carbonated and only slightly sweet; you can serve the kids sparkling apple juice, too.

By the time dessert arrives, most diners don’t want a heavy dessert wine like a botrytised Château d’Yquem, but a light moscato, with or without bubbles, can be refreshing. Better Asti Spumante is one possibility, but many California wineries produce Muscat wines. They’re the perfect ending for a festive Christmas feast.

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From Senior Connections, February 2002