MIKE TIPPING puts wines from Oz in the hotseat in this week's Tipping's Tipples.

I have no excuses this week. It's not whatever or wherever day anywhere and Christmas is too faraway to make reference to. Apart from that mention, of course. And so left to its own devices, my wine radar is picking up blips from Australia.

To start off, there's an Aussie duo new to the shelves at Sainsbury's.

Stonehaven Stepping Stone Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 is pretty much what you would guess it was going to be. It's soft and ready to drink but there's a little too much oak. There are good blackberry and mint flavours present but I think it's a pound or so overpriced at £6.99.

Stonehaven's white offering, Stepping Stone Chardonnay 2003, is lightly oaked butter-cream, with pineapple and limes. It's good to start with but tails-off with a little bitterness. Like its red partner, at £6.99, I think this is overpriced too.

From next Wednesday, the next Aussie pairing are on offer (where stocked) at Somerfield.

Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 fires on all cylinders with liquorice, raspberry and sherbet. It's chewy, nicely oaked and hugely drinkable.

The Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Chardonnay benefits from a good balance between oak and fruit. There are familiar vanilla and gooseberry flavours to this wine. It's also smooth and quaffable but, to be honest, a tad dull.

It has come to my attention that I have never explained the star rating system that is used underneath the list of wines that I try each week. The wines are given stars out of five. I take in to account the price of the wine as well as other deciding factors.

* Use it to unblock the plug hole

** it's got faults

*** OK

**** Very good

***** Tipping's Tipples Gold Award

Interestingly, in the six months that I've been writing this wine column, I've never rated a wine with only one star. Nor has any wine been given five stars. Hopefully that bottle will be arriving soon.

Stonehaven Stepping Stone Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, £6.99 at Sainsbury's

***

OK but nothing special

Stonehaven Stepping Stone Chardonnay 2003, £6.99 at Sainsbury's

**

Poor finish and overpriced

Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, £10.99 from £11.99 at Somerfield

****

Flavoursome and gluggable

Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Chardonnay 2002, £8.99 from £9.99 at Somerfield

***

Nice but a little predictable

Updated: 16:23 Friday, May 07, 2004