Creating a wine blog – or a blog of any topic for that matter – is a lonely venture at first. You often feel like you’re blogging into the ether, and for the most part you are. It takes a while for people to discover your blog. And it takes even longer for readers to [...]
When I tell people that I review inexpensive wines a common response I get is, “Oh, you must love Trader Joe’s.” And every time I hear that, I have to reply with, “No, I don’t.”
It’s not that I have anything personally against Trader Joe’s, but I have yet to find a bargain in their wine department [...]
It’s time for another double-header review. Today it’s from Cline Cellars located in the Los Carneros AVA in Sonoma, California. The Cline Cellars winery was founded by Fred Cline in 1982 with an inheritance from his grandfather Valeriano Jacuzzi (one of five brothers who created Jacuzzi Spas). The winery was originally in Oakley, California and relocated to [...]
Today we’re reviewing two Zinfandels that you’re likely to see on the shelf at your local grocery store. While I often encourage readers to shop at their local wine shops versus grocery stores I realize that you may not have a convenient wine shop and sometimes you’re just in a hurry.
In addition to being two [...]
Simply put, Picpoul is my favorite white varietal; specifically, Picpoul de Pinet from Coteaux du Languedoc in France. Since discovering it I almost don’t want to try any other white wine for I have found the one that I love. This is an absolutely delightful varietal. It’s light, dry, minerally, acidic… it’s everything I want from [...]
One year ago today I published my first post on CheapWineRatings.com and I wanted to take a couple minutes to reflect on the past year and revisit some favorites.
As I look back at my first reviews (only a year ago) I feel that the quality has improved significantly. The tasting notes are better now, the photography [...]
I was really looking forward to trying the Cellar No. 8 Zinfandel because of the fact that the Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon was my top pick in my series on Cabs. I was hoping to find another great value wine here, but unfortunately this tasting leaves me searching.
At first, the nose didn’t strike me [...]
I’ve been toying with the idea of trying out Twitter for a while and today I finally signed up. I don’t know the lingo yet, so I don’t know if it makes me a Twit, a Twitterer or a Tweeter.
My plan was to sign up, dip my toe in the water, check it out, lay [...]
As someone whose been an environmentalist for over 20 years (admittedly more intensely at some times than others) I’m always skeptical of a company’s environmental claims. I’m curious, but skeptical and I tend to be a rather harsh critic of environmental claims. Despite my skepticism, I am somewhat impressed with Parducci Cellars. [...]
