Tipping's Tipples starts on a cautionary note this week. I recently cracked open a bottle of vintage Champagne, as part of my research for Christmas tippling suggestions.

Anyway Mrs Tipping hasn't been too well recently and she was unable to down her customary five-sixths of the bottle. Keen not to waste the expensive contents I made arrangements to visit friends who I knew would be only too happy to help finish it for her.

As you will be all to aware, it is nigh on impossible to replace the cork in a sparkling wine bottle. Since I needed to walk a little way to my pals' house, I decided to stopper the bottle with a standard shape cork that was lying around. This was effective at keeping the contents in until I got halfway there. My brisk pace of walking had shaken-up the contents so much, that the cork shot into the air with a bang. I bet those living nearby thought a firework had been let off in the street. I was just mightily glad I hadn't inadvertently shot someone!

I think all bottles of sparkling wine should carry a safety warning. Something along the lines of, 'don't stick old corks in this bottle and shake it - you could have someone's eye out!' As for the contents, they were pretty good. Champagne Lanson Brut 1997 vintage is a crisp little number, with seductive brioche aroma. It's quite fruity with green apple, lemon and a delicate, fine fizz. I suggest it is ideally suited to an aperitif role.

On the subject of bandicoots, did you know that Aussie producers Banrock Station are helping to save them? The winery has a wetland centre in South Australia where it is also intended to release brush-tailed bettong and numbats later in the year. My suggestion to the winery is that they should use nice pictures of these marsupials on its bottle labels instead of the dull, brown ones used at present.

If you want to capture a Banrock wine for your reserve then try the colombard/chardonnay. Banrock Station Colombard Chardonnay 2004 is not the most exciting blend of grapes but it is very good sub-fiver glugging. A little honey on the nose and slightly-sweet fruit flavours of lemon, melon and peach, finish with subtle oak notes.

Staying in Oz, if you like your reds to have a little sweetness then Buckingham Estate Reserve Shiraz 2003, from Western Australia, is the wine for you. Newly listed at Morrisons, it is rich, spicy and jam-packed with over-ripe berry fruit, rhubarb, coffee and a little mint. It's important to note that, corks from this wine should not be used in an attempt to stopper Champagne bottles!

Champagne Lanson Gold Label Brut 1997, £35.75 from www.justchampagne.co.uk 16/20

Banrock Station Colombard Chardonnay 2004, widely available at £4.79 16/20

Buckingham Estate Reserve Shiraz 2003, £7.99 at Morrisons 14/20

Updated: 10:34 Saturday, October 22, 2005