In this week's Tipping's Tipples, MIKE TIPPING tries wines guaranteed not to be corked.

UNTIL recently I thought trichloroanisole was a cream you asked for quietly at the chemist. Actually, TCA is the chemical responsible for making some natural cork wines taste and smell like a bag of old mushrooms. Or what is called a corked wine.

Sainsbury's has been working with cork manufacturer Sabate and is introducing wines with corks which have been treated to remove TCA. The first to receive such closures is Sainsbury's Australian Petit Verdot. I tried a bottle of the 2001 vintage but this one still had the old synthetic cork closure. It's a good spicy, full-flavoured red with blackberry notes and you get plenty of tannins and alcohol for your money with petit verdot.

Conversely, it seems Thresher is going down the screwcap route. According to Thresher, 78 per cent of the nation's wine drinkers are happy with screw-cap bottles. I did my own research. Out of the ten or so people I talked to, a resounding 90 per cent gave scewcaps the thumbs up. Being able to get at the wine more quickly and not having to pack a corkscrew for a picnic, were some of the benefits mentioned.

Sporting a screwcap in the Thresher's range is a good smooth and ripe Aussie red, Barramundi Shiraz 2002. With plenty of spice and cherry flavours it's full-bodied and ready to drink. Not bad for less than a fiver.

For around about a fiver, try the following duo with screwcaps at Tesco and Safeway. Beau Mayne Sauvignon 2003 and Beau Mayne Merlot 2003 are from the Bordeaux producer, Dourthe.

The merlot is a complex example with smooth tannins. It's light and fruity, with plum and raspberry flavours.

The Beau Mayne sauvignon is just as good. Crisp with hints of lemongrass and limes, it's fresh cut-grass nose is fantastic. Just right to have with salad in the sunshine.

I'm finishing with another screwcapped pairing, this time from wine giants Ernest and Julio Gallo. Gallo has added two new reds to its Turning Leaf range, a 2001 pinot noir and 2002 syrah.

I like Gallo's wines in the same way I like burgers, you almost know what you're going to get. Turning Leaf Pinot Noir is light with cherry and summer fruit flavours. It's definitely not an offensive wine, rather the opposite, it's very quaffable; but a little tame for my liking. I think a good pinot noir should ask questions of the drinker or be a conversation starter if shared with friends. Gallo's offering would slip by unnoticed.

Ditto Gallo's Turning Leaf Syrah, which also lacks character. There's a little pepper coupled with cherry and plum fruit flavours in this one. To be honest this syrah doesn't do much for me and I'd be reluctant to part with the £6.49 required to buy a bottle.

I tend to agree with Thresher's 78 per cent. I'm happy to drink wines fitted with a screwcap, although I do miss cutting the foil and hearing that heart warming pop, as the cork is pulled from the bottle.

Sainsbury's Australian Petit Verdot 2001, £4.99 at Sainsbury's ****

Barramundi Shiraz 2002, £4.99 at Threshers, Wine Rack and Victoria Wine ****

Beau Mayne Sauvignon 2003, around £5 at Tesco and Safeway ****

Beau Mayne Merlot 2003, around £5 at Tesco and Safeway ****

Ernest and Julio Gallo Turning Leaf Pinot Noir 2001, £6.49 at Sainsbury's and selected independents ***

Ernest and Julio Gallo Turning Leaf Syrah 2002, £6.49 at selected independents **

Updated: 09:52 Saturday, June 12, 2004