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Tim Lemke

Tim is the founder and chief reviewer at Cheap Wine Ratings since 2007.

Mac Forbes, Yarra Valley Pinot Noir

Lately, I’ve been reviewing a number of wines sent to me to review from Lidl grocery stores and I have yet another one for you today. This one is a pinot noir from the Yarra Valley region of Australia. Pinot noir is one of the most lauded grape varieties for wine. It also has a […]

Côte Orelia Blanc de Noirs, Bargain Bubbly

A few weeks ago I was reviewing some wines from Lidl. They sent me a few samples from their holiday collection to check out and I have one here to share with you. This one is a sparkling wine called Côte Orelia, Blanc de Noirs. In my opinion, no holiday should be celebrated without sparkling […]

Thomas George Estates, Sons & Daughters Ranch, Chardonnay

Last week I was in Sonoma County, California for the Wine Bloggers Conference. While there I was constantly seeking wines to share with readers here. Although I love these conferences, it can be challenging to find good bargain wines at these events. Most of the wine producers want to showcase their top shelf wines at […]

Live Blogging Red Wine @ #WBC17

This week is the 10th annual Wine Bloggers Conference, being held this year in Santa Rosa, CA. Yes, even though there have recently been some devastating fires in California’s wine country, the region is open for business again and they want you to visit. Every year there is a live blogging event which is a […]

Live Blogging at #WBC17

This week is the tenth Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC), being held in Santa Rosa, California — where the first WBC was held nine years ago. I was at that first one, so I thought it would be a good idea to come back for this one. One of the annual events at this conference is […]

Weingut Spreitzer, Hallgartener Hendelberg Trocken Riesling

Let’s start November with a riesling. But not just any riesling, let’s start it with a really good riesling. This is one of those posts that would fall into the almost-cheap-wine ratings category as it does come in a bit above my typical target price range. But how can I fairly compare cheap wines to […]

Trivento, Argentinian Blend, Cabernet-Malbec

I’ve previously had cabernet sauvignon from Argentina and I’ve certainly had plenty of malbec from Argentina. But this is the first time I’ve had a 50/50 blend of cabernet sauvignon and malbec from Argentina, or from any other region for that matter. The idea of it had me curious what it would be like. You’ve […]

Vins et Terroirs de Loire, Muscadet Sèvre & Maine, Sur Lie

Last week I wrote about a super-bargain Chinon from Lidl supermarket. This week I’m looking at another outstanding bargain from Lidl, this one a Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie. Muscadet Sèvre & Maine, like many European wines tells us both the region where the wine was produced and the grape used to produce the […]

Les Parcelles de Pierre, Chinon at Lidl

One of the tricks to being a wine bargain hunter is to know where to shop in order to find good bargain wines. Many people tout Trader Joe’s as the place to go for good cheap wine. I’ve actually been rather critical of some of my finds there in the past. I’ve also previously written […]

Extremely Rare Black Blend

The PR materials I received with this wine describe it as “elegant and refined, with sophisticated nuance and delicate balance.” I would use none of those descriptors for this wine. From my perspective this is an in-your-face, aggressive wine that’s bold, wild and jammy. With one taste of this wine I can tell it is […]