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Tim Lemke

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

Flip Flop Pinot Grigio

I’ll be honest.  I went into this review a little biased.   Having already reviewed a few of their wines, including their 2009 cabernet sauvignon and 2009 pinot noir, I’m somewhat familiar with the story behind this winery.  They’re relatively new on the block, and still cutting their stylistic teeth on their first few vintages.  And while […]

Great Sense Vinho Verde

People often ask me, “what’s your favorite wine?”  But that’s an impossible question to answer.  I don’t have one favorite.  My favorite thing about about wine is the variety.  I like different wines at different times.  Sometimes it depends on what I’m eating with it, what the weather is like, or just what I feel like. […]

Feudo Principi di Butera Nero d’Avola

If you like Italian wine and you like great deals, then Nero d’Avola is a varietal you should get to know.  It typically offers the characteristics you’d expect from a good Italian red wine, such as vibrant acidity and rich tannins.  But it’s also typically much more affordable than some of the better known Italian […]

Gnarly Head Authentic Red

Over the last year or so I’ve done some ranting about zinfandel blends and how I see a growing demand for these wines.  Apothic Red is one incredibly popular example of this style of wine appealing to consumers and now Gnarly Head has come out with their own answer to the zinfandel blend with Authentic […]

Cheap Wine at Aldi

When I first started this website a lot of people commented that I must love Trader Joe’s because of all the bargains they have on wine.  And as much as I wanted to love Trader Joe’s, I just never became a big fan.  Most of the wines I tasted from them were nothing special, albeit […]

Voga Italia Pinot Grigio

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed a pinot grigio, so we need no more reason than that to check one out today. This one comes from Voga Italia and they win the award for coolest, sexiest bottle I’ve seen all week.  When I first saw this bottle I thought it would just be a […]

Getting Down with Gruner Veltliner

I’ve been meaning to write up this review for several weeks as I actually tasted these wines two months ago, but other things kept coming up.  Shame on me.  But getting this posted late is better than not at all. These are all grüner veltliner from Austria, a wine I acquired an appreciation for when I […]

Meli Carignan, Different and Exciting

Every now and then we come across something we weren’t expecting and that gets us intrigued.  This is one of those cases.  It’s a carignan from Chile. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a carignan from Southern France, or even from a Paso Robles Rhone Ranger.  But I wasn’t expecting to see one from Chile. […]

Pol Rémy Brut

Similar to the Hacienda Brut and the Domaine Laurier Brut that we reviewed earlier this week, the Pol Rémy Brut comes from the Bronco Wine Company portfolio.  But one thing that’s different about it is that it’s from France.  I don’t know if the brand is owned by Bronco or just imported, but it is […]

Domaine Laurier and Hacienda Brut Sparkling Wine

Just because the New Year’s holiday is over is no reason to stop drinking sparkling wine.  And so, here are a couple more bubblies worth checking out. Both of these wines come from the Bronco Wine Company.  You won’t see that name on the labels anywhere, but Bronco owns both of these brands, as well […]