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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
How can we do a series on Zinfandel without tasting 7 Deadly Zins? Simply put, we can’t.
It’s a bad pun that inspired the naming of this wine. But hey… it’s fun and it’s a name you will remember. But it’s not just another bottle with a quirky name trying to entice shoppers with silly marketing, [...]
BIG, BOLD ZIN! That’s how Rancho Zabaco characterizes their wines. And we checked out two of the Zinfandels they produce. There’s a good chance you’ll see at least one of these Zins on the Zinfandel shelf at your local wine shop as Rancho Zabaco doesn’t do much other than Zinfandel.
They have a couple other varietals, but [...]
Cardinal Zin is the epitome of a Zin with a fun name and a fun label. In fact it’s so much fun that in 2001 it was banned in Ohio!
OK, it wasn’t banned for being too much fun specifically. It was banned because Ohio’s state code on wine labeling forbids “advertisement or representation portraying pictures of… [...]
Twist the top off this and celebrate a cork-free bargain. Twisted Wines are a brand of wine that jumps out at you on the wine shelves. The marketing guy in me loves this brand. They have good packaging with a fun attitude, eye-popping shelf talkers and a well-designed website. And the brand is not all [...]
The Sierra Foothills designation of Renwood Zinfandel, also know as “red label,” is the entry-level Zinfandel from Renwood Winery. They have some more pricey Zins available, but they are mostly out of the range for Cheap Wine Ratings. The red label wines from Renwood are produced from their younger vines and are much simpler than [...]
