It's a small honour but one that has not been made before. I hereby dedicate this week's Tipping's Tipples to Yorkshire and England fast-bowling yeti Matthew Hoggard.

His sensational bowling in the fourth test in Johannesburg earlier this week secured victory and means that England cannot lose the series. What more appropriate toast to that wrecker of South African batsmen, than a glass or two of pinotage?

Pinotage is South Africa's trademark red grape, a crossing of pinot noir and cinsault. The wine is full of character but not always easy drinking. Most benefit greatly from a few hours left to breathe and open up.

Not so Kumala Pinotage Shiraz 2004, which is modern and ready to drink as soon as the bottle is opened.

It is a dense, smoky and inky liquid, with plums and berry fruit. The shiraz in the blend adds pepper to the spices. Good stuff for under £5 and perfect with sausages.

You could step up a couple of quid to Kumala Reserve Pinotage 2003. Jammy with blackcurrant cordial flavours and yeasty notes, it's rippling with tannins but not really worth the extra outlay.

The following four examples are however. All are exclusive to Oddbins.

Starting with the reasonably priced and full flavoured Oracle Pinotage 2003. It's almost the same red as that cricket ball put to use by Matthew Hoggard and with some of its leatheriness too. This one has plum flavours to the fore with spices and chocolate along the way.

Or crunch your way through Tukulu Pinotage 2002 from the Swartland. It's bone dry with curls of cigar smoke, blackberry, raspberry, spice and mouth-filling tannins. Full, prickly and very good.

Moving up to the just under a tenner bracket and a pinotage from the Southern Right. The winery takes its name from the variety of whale, which can be seen off the Western Cape. A proportion of the money made from its wines goes to the conservation of Southern Right whales.

Like the whale, Southern Right Pinotage 2002 is a graceful beast. Very smooth with the characteristic rubbery aromas of pinotage, there are raspberry and cassis flavours in abundance. The wine is nicely dry but with sweet afternotes of chocolate and elegant tannins.

Oddbins in York is now stocking the latest vintage of the curiously named Writer's Block from wine press darlings Flagstone. I'm not short of things to write about the 2003 vintage.

Flagstone Writer's Block 2003 has a screwcap closure and unlike the 2002 vintage has a little shiraz blended with the pinotage. The end result is great with bramble and coffee flavours. There are good pinches of black pepper and spice in the mix combined with the well integrated use of toasted, smoky oak. A smooth, dark, brooding, delicately tannined glass of pleasure.

When you read this, the final test match will be underway against South Africa in Centurion.

Come on Matthew Hoggard, come on England and then bring on the Aussies and an excuse to sample some of their wines.

Wine list

Kumala Pinotage Shiraz 2004, £4.99 at Tesco. 16/20

Kumala Reserve Pinotage 2003, £6.99 at Co-op and Waitrose. 14/20

Tukulu Pinotage 2002, £7.99 at Oddbins. 17/20

Flagstone Writer's Block 2003, £9.99 at Oddbins. 17/20

Oracle Pinotage 2003, £5.49 at Oddbins. 16/20

Southern Right Pinotage 2002, £9.99 at Oddbins. 16/20

Updated: 08:36 Saturday, January 22, 2005