David is a wine enthusiast and an avid consumer of fine wines. David’s family has owned and operated Germano’s Restaurant in Cincinnati Ohio for the last 25 years. In the mid ‘90’s, David developed and launched Germano’s fine wine program, offering patrons an extensive selection of fine Italian and California wines. David has been judging wines in Cincinnati’s International Wine Festival, since 1998. As a restaurateur, David’s philosophy has always been about rewarding the knowledgeable consumer. “I’d always include one or two wines on Germano’s wine list that represented tremendous value, the diamonds in the rough. A good wine list should always reward the casual wine enthusiast”.

Huntington is a label that is part of the Hahn family’s portfolio of wines, which includes Hahn Winery, Cycles Gladiator, Hahn SLH Estate, Lucienne, Smith & Hook, Copa Del Rey, and Bin 36.  Along with this assortment of wine brands, the Hahn family also owns the Mugie Ranch in northern Kenya, where the Hahns reside [...]

Continue reading this post...

The William Cole estate is situated in the Casablanca Valley, near the city of Casablanca.   There is also a William Cole Vineyards in St. Helena, California, but the wineries are unrelated.  William Cole Vineyards, the Chilean version, is owned and operated by William Cole, while William Cole Vineyards in St. Helena is owned and operated [...]

Continue reading this post...

My experience with Robert Mondavi’s various wineries goes back many vintages.  And, I can say that I’ve never had a negative experience with any of their wines, whether they were from the main estate, from Woodbridge, or from their joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Opus One.  Regarding the latter, I’ve been fortunate to [...]

Continue reading this post...

We’ve reviewed a number of Concannon’s wines here at Cheap Wine Ratings, and aside from a disappointing, and rather out of character showing from their 2007 Merlot, we’ve been impressed with their wines.  As Tim mentions in his review of Concannon’s 2007 Central Coast pinot noir, Concannon Vineyard has a long, rich history of producing [...]

Continue reading this post...

I’ll be honest.  I went into this review a little biased.   Having already reviewed a few of their wines, including their 2009 cabernet sauvignon and 2009 pinot noir, I’m somewhat familiar with the story behind this winery.  They’re relatively new on the block, and still cutting their stylistic teeth on their first few vintages.  And while [...]

Continue reading this post...

Yesterday, we reviewed the Godwin Family Vineyards 2004 Merlot and we found it to be quite impressive.  “The wine does a nice job of mimicking a Pomerol, but with a traditional California style all it’s own”, is what I said of that wine.  You can read more on the 2004, but it’s time to review [...]

Continue reading this post...

Occasionally here at Cheapwineratings.com we receive wines that don’t necessarily meet our criteria, meaning they’re not exactly “cheap”.   But if we believe these wines may still represent a value to our consumers who may be looking for something a little more special, we’ll certainly pass on our perspective.   So when Godwin Family Vineyards sent us [...]

Continue reading this post...