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Tim Lemke

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

Wyndham Estate BIN 444 Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes people ask me, “what wine goes with chocolate?”  I usually respond by fumbling my way through some vague answer.  But now I have a better response, “this wine!”  The fruit flavors on this wine are beautiful and are a perfect match for dark chocolate. As a part of Wyndham Estate‘s BIN series, this is one of […]

Ancient Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon

While Paso Robles seems to have a reputation for producing great wine with Rhone varietals, they also seems to produce some great wine from Bordeaux varietals, Spanish varietals, Italian varietals and the list goes on!  But one varietal that I highly suggest checking out from Paso Robles is cabernet sauvignon.  Sure you can get a […]

Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah

We’ve reviewed a number of Concannon’s wines here at Cheap Wine Ratings, and aside from a disappointing, and rather out of character showing from their 2007 Merlot, we’ve been impressed with their wines.  As Tim mentions in his review of Concannon’s 2007 Central Coast pinot noir, Concannon Vineyard has a long, rich history of producing […]

Casa de Vila Verde Vinho Verde

The other day we reviewed a Vinho Verde from Great Sense and tonight we’re checking out another one, this one from Casa de Vila Verde. Like many European vineyards, Casa de Vila Verde has a long history, going back to the mid-17th century within the same family.  And like many European producers, the winery was […]

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 […]