With the holidays upon us, many of our schedules will be filled with numerous and sundry social gatherings where we'll be sitting for hours around a dining room table or crowding into the kitchen around a buffet.

I thought I would offer some wine tips for navigating these holidays, so I searched the Internet for some "Hints from Heloise." Though old reliable Heloise has plenty of advice on many other holiday-related topics, the only wine tip I could find fell under the category of "The No-Worries Holiday Stain Guide." Along with gravy and cranberry sauce, Heloise gave a "rapid response" and "post-party" tip to remove wine stains on the tablecloth.

So, dear reader, I have taken it upon myself to prepare your Wine Snob's Guide to the Holidays:

What wine to serve at Thanksgiving?

This is the question that has given party hosts sleepless nights since the Mayflower. And still there is no one clear answer. Visit your local retailer for recommendations and they will vary from high-acid riesling because it cuts through a plethora of foods, to zinfandel because it's American, to Beaujolais because it's light and fruity, and so on.

I say prosecco because it's relatively inexpensive. It's light and sweet, slightly effervescent and low in alcohol — which means you can start drinking it early in the morning, it won't get you too snockered over a long day of eating, and it partners nicely with in-laws. More simply put, prosecco is so damned "Drink me!" appealing it doesn't need your full-on attention to be enjoyed.

It doesn't really matter what wine you serve at Thanksgiving because there really is no one wine that is going to cut through all the combinations of sweet and savory foods on the table. If you can find one wine that will simultaneously pair with marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts with bacon, and turkey and gravy, then by all means serve it. Otherwise, find something you like and stick with it all day. For me it will be prosecco!

What wine to bring to a host's house?

This is a loaded question and the field of response is riddled with bombs. But let's proceed. Cautiously.

First of all, did you ask your host if you could bring wine? If your host said no, then good — you are off the hook. You can, by all means, still bring a bottle of wine, but should not to expect the wine you bring to be opened that night.

If your host said yes, your options are different. The "yes" response implies the wine you bring will be opened that night, so you now need to politely ask what is being served and how the wine you bring might be part of the meal. If your host says he or she is having a syrah tasting, by all means bring your favorite bottle of syrah. Or, if your host has multi-course menu planned, ask if there is a wine you could bring to partner with one of the courses.

Tip from the wine snob: Many hosts don't plan on a dessert wine so here is a rich opportunity to make points by bringing one. Château d'Yquem from the 1990 vintage is drinking nicely right now, thank you very much.

In summary, if your host says no to bringing wine, bring one bottle as a gift. If you host says yes, bring two bottles of the same wine and expect at least one of them to be opened that night. And hey, if your host is a wine snob, why not just ask if you can bring the dessert. What's the point of carrying coals to Newcastle?

What wine to serve to at your large holiday party?

This is pretty simple territory. If you have 50 of your closest friends coming over for a Sunday afternoon, don't reach deep into your cellar and pull out your most prized bottles. Do you really want to see your aunt slam down a glass of your favorite old Bordeaux over a glass of ice mixed with Sprite? I didn't think so.

Seriously, though, for a large gathering of close friends plan a wine theme with integrity. It does not have to be expensive. The theme is what makes it fun.

For my larger gatherings, I like to put out one roast or one pot of food that everyone can nibble on over the course of the afternoon. I then carefully select a wine theme and lay out a dozen or so different bottles. It can be organized around a grape — 12 different producers of zinfandel, syrah or pinot noir, for example. It can have a regional theme — like pinot noir from California, Oregon, New Zealand and Burgundy. Or it can be driven by one producer — all seven zinfandels produced by Ravenswood from one vintage, for example.

Make it simple, and leave the bottles out and open on a sidebar in a suggested drinking sequence. Give each guest one glass for the day. Wine charms, around the stem of the glass, are popular these days to help guests keep track of their glasses, but I simply use a washable Sharpie pen and put each person's initials on the up-facing base of the glass. (Most of my parties of this nature are so successful and easy to do that by the end of the night people don't care whose glass they are drinking out of. )

But remember that wine is fire; too much and you will get burned. You want a controlled burn. Make sure there is enough food when you have this many wines open. Italians never say someone is drunk — they only say that someone hasn't eaten enough.

What wine to serve at that special holiday dinner with just one or a few close friends?

OK, now it's time to dig deep. While I believe that any wine, cheap or expensive, can be made special in the context of whom you share it with, if there ever is a time to bring out the big guns to guarantee a memorable time, this is it.

A perfectly roasted duck on Christmas Eve with your best cutlery laid out on your best linens deserves a wine worthy of the occasion. Could there be anything more compelling, sensual and satisfying than a silky, evocative red Burgundy poured gently in the largest pinot glass you have?

I don't know. If you do, give me a call and I will be right over.

Maybe you are not a meat-eater or a red-wine drinker. If it's crab legs with drawn butter for your holiday meal, stick with Burgundy and pull out a white one.

Chardonnay gets so much bashing these days that the pendulum has swung all the way over to a trend of chardonnay wine made with no oak. While some of these novelties may be interesting, come on already — who wants naked chardonnay? What's next, steak without salt?

I am all for restraint — and I'm not calling for 100-percent new oak slathered on my chardonnay. But chardonnay is a neutral grape, and a judicious touch of oak can be sublime in gently wrapping around, nurturing and augmenting, its nuances. And who doesn't like a little butter with their seafood?

What wine to serve on New Year's Eve?

Here you need to go deep again. And while you are going deep, go large. I love large format bottles for an intimate New Year's Eve gathering. There is great joy and pleasure in bringing a magnum of your favorite wine to the table rather than two bottles. It impresses your guests and one magnum easily serves 10 people.

My idea of a great New Year's Eve dinner is nine of my favorite friends and five magnums, one for each course. And then, if your guests claim in the light of the New Year that they were over-served, you can beg to differ: it was only five bottles for 10 people!

Finally, here's Heloise's wine tip: She recommends a good amount of salt, baking soda, or artificial sweetener on top of the Bordeaux wine stain on your tablecloth — the one you got by grabbing the glass from your aunt before she could pour in the Sprite.

Drink well and responsibly.