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Tim Lemke

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

Tsantali Kanenas White Blend – Delightfully Delicious

Over the past year, one wine region that I’ve fallen in love with is Greece.  Unfortunately, I don’t find many Greek wines on the shelves in my neighborhood, but those that I’ve tasted have been delicious — and this wine from Tsantali is no exception. It’s made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Muscat of Alexandria. […]

René Muré Cremant D’Alsace – Brut

For bargain-hunting sparkling wine lovers, “cremant” is a good word to learn.  It’s the name given to French sparkling wines that come from regions outside of Champagne.  And being from outside of Champagne they typically have quite reasonable prices compared to their Champagne relatives. This Cremant D’Alsace from René Muré is made from a blend of […]

Casillero del Diablo Merlot Revisited

It was just earlier this year that I posted a review of the 2010 Casillero del Diablo merlot and now we’re on to the 2011.  Although it seems that I could taste a different wine every day of my life and never run out of new wines, I do like to revisit wines I’ve tasted […]

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage

Meritage, pronounced like “heritage” with an M, is a name for Bordeaux-style blends that come from regions other than Bordeaux. This one comes from Robert Mondavi Private Selection.  I think it’s a safe assumption for me to figure that you’ve heard of Robert Mondavi.  The company has a number of different tiers in their wine […]

Rocca Sveva Soave Classico

I’ve been writing about a couple wines from Soave lately and here’s another one that pretty good. Like most Soave, this one is made from 100% garganega.  It’s one of the brands from Cantina Di Soave. The thing that really makes this wine stand out is how aromatic it is.  There’s a floral quality on […]

ReMidas Soave

Here is another Soave that’s worth checking out.  This one comes from Cantina Di Soave under their ReMidas brand. It’s made from 100% garganega grapes and is, of course, from the Veneto region in Italy — where the Soave DOC is located. I know this is a scent description that annoys some people, but I […]

Soave Bolla Classico

Like many Italian wines, the Soave name represents both the region and the style of wine.  The Soave region is in North Eastern Italy, around the city of Verona.  Soave the wine is made primarily from the garganega grape.  It’s often 100% garganega, but sometimes includes small amounts of trebbiano, chardonnay or pinot bianco. Bolla, […]

Geyser Peak Pinot Grigio

Pinot grigio is one of those wines that some people love and other love to hate.  But it’s also a wine that comes to life in a couple different styles.  So I think wine lovers who think they don’t like pinot grigio may have just not tried the right one yet. I generally like pinot […]

Balthasar Ress, Von Unserm Riesling, Dry and Delicious

Like many European wine producers, Balthasar Ress has a long history dating back to the late 1800’s.  Before beginning wine production, there were several generations of butchers in the Ress family.  And even today the Metzgerei Ress butcher shop exists in Hattenheim, a small town along the Rhine river in the Rheingau region of Germany.  Balthasar Ress […]

Albamar Sauvignon Blanc, Tropical and Tantalizing

Here’s a quick sauvignon blanc review. Casablanca Valley in Chile is one of my favorite regions in the world for sauvignon blanc.  It’s a cool-climate region that produces crisp, tropical sauvignon blanc.  And the value of the wines produced there can’t be beat. This one from Albamar showcases some of what makes sauvignon blanc from […]