1. Home
  2. Tim Lemke

Tim Lemke

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

Marsala – Much More than a Cooking Wine!

Are you familiar with a wine called “Marsala?”  What comes to mind when you think of that wine?  Is it Chicken Marsala?  You’re not alone and that’s a major challenge for this Sicilian wine region.  In fact, go do a Google search on Marsala.  What results do you get?  I’m going to guess that you […]

Hardys Nottage Hill Chardonnay – Complex and Balanced

Chardonnay is one of those wines for which you have seemingly endless options.  It’s grown in pretty much every major wine region of the world and the store shelves are lined with brand after brand. With so many options it should be no surprise that there’s also a wide range of quality and styles.  And […]

StickyBeak Toscana – A Light, Tuscan Sangiovese

When I saw the name of this wine, it immediately made me think of Australia.  And it turns out that the name StickyBeak is an Australian wine term.  But StickyBeak wine is not from Australia.  Most wine under this brand comes from California, except for this one which is from the Tuscany region in Italy. The […]

Picket Fence Pinot Noir – Light & Easy

When it comes to cheap wine, a lot of it comes from a handful of big companies.  Although you probably don’t realize that because those companies own a lot of different brand names.  Picket Fence is one of the brands in the portfolio of Bronco Wine Company, one of the biggest producers of cheap wine […]

Calcu Carménère – Clumsy, but Enjoyable

I’ve been posting carménère reviews lately and here’s another bargain carménère from Chile.  This one comes from the Colchagua Valley, a region known for its red wines – including carménère. The spice is pretty heavy on the nose of this wine.  It’s loaded with nutmeg, clove, toasted oak and vanilla.  That’s backed up by plenty of blackberry, blueberry […]

Maquis Carménère – Big, Dark and Delicious

Following up from the last review, here is another Chilean carménère. This one comes from Maquis in the Colchagua Valley.  The story of Maquis dates back almost 90 years to when the first vineyards were planted on the estate.  For most of its existence the owners only grew grapes to sell to other winemakers, but in […]

Casillero del Diablo Carménère – Earthy & Spicy

Although carménère has in recent years come to be thought of as a signature Chilean grape, its roots go back to Europe.  More specifically, it is thought to have originated in the Médoc region of Bordeaux.  It was once thought to be the “lost grape of Bordeaux,” having gone extinct from phylloxera in 1867.  But cuttings of […]

3 Spells Rosé – A Rosé with Personality

Today it’s rainy and icky outside and I’m feeling kind of moody, but things are turning more springlike and for that reason I’m going to focus on a happy wine for spring.  A rosé! I love rosé and I think it’s an under-appreciated wine in general — although not under-appreciated by me.  When it’s made […]

DeMorgenzon DMZ Chardonnay – A Chard to Love

South Africa is rising quickly on my list of locations for really good bargain-priced wines.  I showed up late to this party, but I’m sticking around now that I’ve found it. This is the latest in my list of South African wines worth raving about.  And this one is a chardonnay.  I almost never “rave” […]

Kim Crawford, Small Parcels Rise and Shine, Pinot Noir – Superb!

I’ve raved about Kim Crawford wines from New Zealand in the past.  The fact is, I have yet to taste a wine from Kim Crawford that I don’t love.  Although they’ve only been around for about two decades, they know their stuff.  They only make a few varieties of wine, and they make them really […]