No room for the wine?

How to survive a summer of dodgy bottle shops.

THERE'S a 20-something waiter, a uni student from Wollongong, trying to sell you a bottle of McWilliam's Hanwood chardonnay because it's the only kind of wine she can afford to drink that comes in a bottle.

Ergo, it's got to be great stuff.

There's a wine list with no vintages included because most customers wouldn't respect them, and besides, the owner thinks he's saving money.

The only wines by the glass are from mega-size wine companies, the kind you buy every day when you're at home, and you're unsure about the "local" wines because they are also among the most expensive.

The place, well, it could be anywhere at this time of year but let's call it Batemans Bay. Lovely spot. Great beaches, a natural wonderland. But a desert for good wine.

Which is why I take my own.

But it's not always possible to BYO. Sometime, somewhere on holiday, you will have to reach for a bottle off a dusty shelf of a general store, a supermarket or a restaurant list. Dusty, because before you and the gathering hoard of campers arrived it was the off-season.

Get used to seeing a lot of young wines and retailers and restaurants running out of wines and not replacing them. Most restaurants and liquor shops don't hold on to stock because their busy times of the year generally only last a few months. They're also unlikely to be adventurous wine buyers because they want the wines to sell, not to sit around waiting for connoisseurs.

Buying wine in any town or city is defined by the tastes of its general population. In small inland and coastal towns, these tend to be conservative. If you're holidaying in a place with a large population of retirees and pokies, you're plum out of luck. What to do?

Follow these 10 survival tips:

Sparkling wines: Can be a surprisingly reliable category because most places keep a good bubbly in stock as well as cheery cheaper ones. Be prepared to pay for quality and seek out Aussie foolproofs such as Chandon, Seppelt Salinger, Croser, Jansz and Taltarni Clover Hill. At the lower end, reliable names are Brown Brothers, Sir James and Yarra Burn. Find a moscato if you want a $10 to $15 fizz, but remember it will be sweet and grapey.

Riesling: Riesling (along with semillon) should be a holiday fave because it's terrific as a youngster, it's light, unwooded, well priced and, if it happens to stay on a shelf, benefits from age. Look out for Clare, Eden Valley and Tassie rieslings, and semillon from the Hunter and Clare valleys and Margaret River.

Chardonnay: In the doldrums with drinkers and wine buyers, chardonnay tends to be making up the numbers on many wine lists and supermarket shelves. There's little to inspire because everyone wants a safe bet - that is, a big company name. If in doubt about the brand, go for a safe region: Margaret River, Adelaide Hills, Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula.

Sem-sav: Oh dear, there's not a lot of joy out there when it comes to this style. Everyone seems to make a semillon-sav blanc but few do it really well. If you know the wine, buy it, otherwise stick with wines from Margaret River, home of the style. And, remember, it's got to be young.

Pinot gris is another wine to be a little wary of. It's on the up and up, but so far the Kiwis are doing better than most Aussie makers. Pinot grigio is far more consistent.

Rose: Possibly the perfect holiday wine, a fun wine that you shouldn't get too wound up about. Some will be very dry and some slightly sweet (you just don't know until you buy) but whatever you choose, it's got to be young and fresh and preferably from the '08 vintage.

Pinot noir: Give it a wide berth unless you are confident about the maker and the vintage.

Shiraz: Tends to be a winner, simply by force of numbers. The Australian wine industry makes heaps of shiraz and a winemaker would have to be working overtime to do a dud job. Feel free to explore, especially with "local" wines (you may discover a gem).

Cabernet sauvignon, et al: The rigid structure of cabernet tends to go against the laid-back mood of a wine drinker on holiday. Unless you're the kind that reads Dostoevsky on the beach, it's probably not a wise move. Better to seek out a Rhone blend (grenache, shiraz, mourvedre) or a shiraz-cabernet. The Goulburn Valley, Clare Valley, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale do both styles well.

Imported wines: For many places, "imported" means New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Which is OK because at least you'll be given a selection that's probably familiar to you, such as Oyster Bay, Giesen or Stoneleigh. As for other "imported" wines, see tip on pinot noir.

Best value: Sometimes it's not the grape variety, the region or the vintage that moves you to buy a wine. Sometimes you can bet on the wine producer. When in doubt buy on the reputation of these makers: Yalumba (particularly the Barossa range), McWilliam's (if you haven't tried Barwang, do), Brown Brothers, De Bortoli (Gulf Station and Windy Peak are excellent), Peter Lehmann, Wirra Wirra, d'Arenberg, Coriole, Tyrrell's and Cape Mentelle.