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Tim Lemke

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

Crios Cabernet Sauvignon

I’ve been told that today is National Cabernet Day.  I’ve also been told that today is Cabernet Day, International Cabernet Day and World Cabernet Day.  Regardless of what you call it, it’s a phony, made-up holiday created by some marketing/PR schmuck in order to get people talking about cabernet sauvignon.  And I’m the sucker who […]

Apaltagua Envero Gran Reserva Carménère

Some folks say that vintage makes no difference when it comes to cheap wine, but I say poo poo to that!  It does make a difference and I like to revisit new vintages of wines that we’ve tasted in the past. Today I’m tasting the 2009 Apaltagua Envero Gran Reserva Carménère from the Colchagua Valley in […]

Banfi Centine Bianco

Banfi is a pretty big name in Italian wine and one that you’re likely to come across in many wine shops.  And while I’ve found their wines to be generally good, I typically don’t go for them as I’ve often found them to be priced above what I think they should be.  Of course, that’s […]

Reginato Sparkling Torrontés Chardonnay

Typically, I work a little bit ahead on my wine reviews.  I’ll photograph a wine, taste it and take my notes and then a couple weeks later it will get published to the website.  But sometimes I taste a wine that I’m so excited about that I just can’t wait to get the review published. […]

Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc

Good news for those of you who are ready for a change, we’re moving on from riesling tonight and reviewing a sauvignon blanc. New Zealand has a great reputation for creating exciting sauvignon blanc, full of tropical fruit flavors and vibrant acidity.  And Marlborough, where this wine is from, has a particularly strong reputation. The […]

Meli Riesling

Riesling, riesling, more riesling.  We’ve been doing so many riesling reviews lately that we’re at risk of needing to rename the website to Cheap Riesling Reviews.  And here’s yet another one… but wait, there’s something different about this riesling. Yep, this one comes from Chile—a different country in a different continent versus the other riesling […]

Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Riesling

Tonight we have a double-header review, with two different rieslings from Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler.  These two fall slightly above our typical price limit, but it’s always interesting to see how more pricey wines compare to the bargains we typically review.  And with a little hunting, you may find these wines for under $20. The Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler family […]

G.H. von Mumm 50° Riesling Trocken

With terms like spatlese, kabinett, auslese, trocken, halbtrocken, combinations of those terms and more, there is a definite learning curve to understanding German riesling — or German wines in general.  And those terms all represent different styles of riesling.  Being “into riesling” isn’t as easy as being “into cabernet sauvignon” where you can pretty much […]

Reichsrat von Buhl Armand Riesling

Hello again.  It’s been over a week since we’ve had a chance to update, thanks to a little bit of travel.  But we’re still focused on riesling.  And yes, that is a reason to celebrate. While we’ve reviewed a number of different rieslings in the past few weeks, and a number of German rieslings in […]

Schloss Reinhartshausen Old Vines Riesling

I have an idea.  How about another riesling review? This one from the impossible-for-any-American-to-spell-correctly Schloss Reinhartshausen winery in Rheingau, Germany.  Those who’ve been reading our other recent riesling reviews will know that Rheingau is the region along the River Rhine. The nose is pretty nice, with rose petal, peach and pear aromas.  The palate is off-dry […]