What's 15 kilometres long, cigar shaped and a thinly veiled excuse to write about Australian wine?

That'll be the Coonawarra wine-growing region in Oz. It's South Australia's southernmost wine region and benefits, taking a wine grower's perspective, from a cool and marginal climate.

Coonawarra wines don't come cheap but the following three wines are at least, widely available.

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2000 is intense stuff. It's full of rich fruit flavours (blackberry and plums) with violet, spice and a generous helping of French oak. Round and as sound as a pound... well, as sound as £10.29 to be precise.

If, like me, a cabernet sauvignon is your most favoured tipple, why not push the boat out for the Rosemount Estate Show Reserve, 2000 vintage of the variety.

It's oaked, dense, inky and extraordinarily smooth. The flavours are plentiful with raspberry, blackberry, chocolate and mint coupled with prickly, tarty little tannins. Lovely but sadly not being given away at £13.29.

Riesling ranks highly in the Tipping's Tipples ratings, sometimes there's no better white wine to drink. Maybe a good chablis might sway my opinion but I'm resolutely sticking to a chardonnay ban in this column. (For at least this week anyway!)

Wynn's Coonawarra Riesling 2001, £7.99 at Majestic, is vibrant, dry and zesty with citrus fruit. Fragrant but not overpoweringly blossom-fuelled this wine has a flavour not often found in wine. It tastes of grapes. Now how unusual is that?

If Aussie wine isn't your thing, I can't understand how you've got so far into this column. But if you think the climax of the tennis tournament at Wimbledon needs a liquid accompaniment, try Jacquart Brut Mosaique Rose 1998.

This rose champagne is on the sweeter side of dry and is both light and refreshing. The fresh baked-bread crust nose gives way to gentle flavours of strawberries. Buy 12 and get six free at Oddbins from this month, and can I have an invite to the party?

And to finish this week there's a wine to have tomorrow, July 4th, Independence Day in the USA.

I can't think of much to celebrate on that front but what the hell, it's a damn decent bottle of red.

St Francis Old Vines Zinfandel 1999 weighs in at a mighty 15.1 per cent, so go steadily!

Rich and very full, this Californian is a smoked cream, vanilla, chocolate and black cherry jelly sandwich of a wine. Check out the baked bean nose and voluptuous tannins. Nice but pricey at £13.49 from selected Sainsbury's stores.

Sometimes you just feel the need to indulge, or as George Dubbya might put it "indulgicate".

The Dean Court Hotel, in conjunction with North Yorkshire wine merchants Playford Ros, is holding a "starting a cellar" wine evening.

The dinner and wine event will be held on July 15 at the Dean Court. For more information contact David Brooks on 01904 625082.

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2000, £10.29 at Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Safeway, Asda, Oddbins, Thresher and Majestic ****

Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, £13.29 at Safeway, Morrisons, Majestic ****

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Riesling 2001, £7.09 at Majestic ****

Jacquart Brut Mosaique Rose 1998, £29.99 (buy 12 get six free) at Oddbins ****

St Francis Old Vines Zinfandel 1999, £13.49 at Sainsbury's ****

Updated: 15:50 Friday, July 02, 2004