Holiday wine primer

Turkey is the most popular choice for the holiday feast, but in recent years, prime rib, goose, lamb and salmon have become viable alternatives for those who don't care for the chore of dealing with 25 pounds of bird.

I like turkey, but I hate the fact that it ties the oven up for several hours, so this past Thanksgiving, I brined it and then removed the legs, wings and breasts and barbecued them, basting them with sage butter during the cooking process.

The cooking time went down from three hours to a half-hour and the results were great: perfectly cooked, moist and flavourful. (I cooked the stuffing in a casserole dish in the oven.) Unless it is minus 30 outside, I will repeat this process at Christmas and in the future.

So, in celebration of things to come, I have a selection of wines this week to complement festive fare.

Turkey, ham and salmon tend to go with a cross-section of white wines as well as rose and lighter-bodied reds, including Pinot Noir and Beaujolais.

For white varietals, Chardonnay is a decent match. Check out Francois Raveneau's 2005 Vaillons Chablis ($95), a stunning example of Chardonnay from a producer whose wines are almost in a league of their own.

I also like the 2007 Dona Paula Chardonnay ($19) from Argentina, a nicely balanced wine from a producer known to deliver great value.

Albarino is a white varietal from Spain with great versatility; it works brilliantly with most seafood, but it is gutsy enough to go with turkey and chicken as well.

The 2007 Burgans Albarino from Bodegas Martin Codax ($21) is a steal of a deal, offering a complex array of citrus and mineral notes.

Riesling is another great option. I would go with something off-dry with turkey and ham and fully dry with salmon. On the dry side, you can't do much better than a bottle of Trimbach's 2005 Riesling ($26), a great wine from one of Alsace's most revered producers.

In the off-dry vein, the 2006 Georg Breuer Berg Schlossberg Riesling ($71) from Germany's Rheingau region is a stunner, rich and bursting with notes of green apples, citrus and minerality.

Pinot Noir goes with just about everything and is a great match with salmon, turkey, goose and duck. It also goes well with lamb and beef tenderloin, although for prime rib, I would move to something in the Syrah or Cabernet realm.

At the high end of the Pinot Noir realm, the choices are vast. Burgundy is the place to be here, although not exclusively. I was very impressed with a new arrival from Bernard Du-gat-Py, a top producer based in Gevry Chambertin. His basic Bourgogne Rouge 2005 ($62) is a terrific effort-- classic Burgundy in all its glory. Collectors may want to spring for the tiny amount of Gevry Chambertin ($225) or Charmes Chambertin ($527) that has arrived in town. They'll disappear quickly, even at these prices.

A somewhat more affordable $47 will get you a bottle of the 2004 Foxes Island Pinot Noir from New Zealand. This is delicious Pinot from a great producer, and it offers loads of spice and black bramble fruit.

If you are doing lamb or beef this year, big red wines are plentiful at all price points.

I like Bordeaux with prime rib, and the 2005 Chateau Cap de Faugeres ($55) is a great buy from a truly great vintage. This wine offers notes of cassis and mocha with firm but very ripe tannins. I would recommend decanting it for a couple of hours prior to serving.

If you are doing lamb, Syrah is always a safe bet. You could opt for a bottle of Saint Cosme's 2005 Cote Rotie ($85), a stunning Syrah from France's northern Rhone Valley. Cheers!

Geoff last is a lonGtime calGary wine

merchant and writer and a reGular contriButor to city palate and other puBlications. he instructs on food and

wine at the cookBook co. cooks.