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Tim Lemke

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

Exploring Wine Country in Paso Robles

Someone once told me that richness in life shouldn’t be measured by how much stuff you accumulate, but by how many of your days are memorable.  Too often we get stuck in our daily routines and don’t get out to adventure.  And if you’re into wine, exploring wine country is an awesome way to add to your […]

St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc

I have often dissed sauvignon blanc from California.  I’ve called it bland, boring, lifeless.  I’m guilty of badmouthing the whole category based on a few underwhelming experiences.  But truthfully, California can produce exceptional sauvignon blanc.  And this bottle from St. Supery proves me wrong for all the bad things I’ve said about Californian sauvignon blanc […]

Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel

It’s been close to 3 years since we’ve reviewed Twisted’s 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel.  It represented a great value back then at it’s $6.99 price tag, but it didn’t get our nod for top zinfandel under $20.  Recently, on one of my routine trips to one of my favorite wine shops, I ran across the […]

Quintay Sauvignon Blanc Review

Continuing the theme of our last review, today we’re checking out a couple more sauvignon blancs from the Casablanca Valley region of Chile.  Both of these come from Quintay, which is a brand that was started by a group of Chilean wine producers all focused on cool climate wines.  Wine from Quintay come from the […]

Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2010

This is the third year in a row that we’ve had the opportunity to review the Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc and after reviewing this wine on multiple occasions, a few things have become evident. First of all, it’s clear that Veramonte consistently makes a really good sauvignon blanc.  They’ve become my “go to” brand for SB. […]

Monthaven Cabernet Sauvignon

We’re back to another box today, or an Octavin to be more precise.  This is a cabernet sauvignon from the Central Coast of California.  When a wine is labeled as coming from the Central Coast, that usually means that the fruit came from a couple different sources because Central Coast is a broad region (or […]

Two New World Moscatos Reviewed

Muscat, also know as muscatel or moscatel, is a varietal that is produced in many of the major wine growing regions around the world. In Italy the varietal is know as Moscato, and can be produced in either a still or sparkling (frizzante) style. Moscato is used predominantly to make sweet dessert wines that can […]

Finisterra Red and White Wine from Portugal

As a guy who is into value wines, I’ve found that there are a few regions you can count on for consistent values.  Chile and Spain are two regions that are on that list, but one that I don’t see enough of is Portugal.  There are some incredible bargains to be found in Portuguese wines, […]

Weingut Tesch Riesling Unplugged

When you look at the picture on the label of a bottle of Tesch wine it may conjure up images in your mind of an old German winemaker continuing the traditions from previous generations of winemakers.  But that impression would be far from the reality. The man pictured on these labels is the great grandfather […]

Apaltagua Reserva Chardonnay

Running a restaurant in the United States, and more specifically, in the mid-west, I’ve had to become extremely familiar with the Chardonnay varietal.  In fact, I’d say that beyond Sangiovese (it’s an Italian restaurant), I’d say that chardonnay ranks second in total volume of wines I’ve tasted.  I’d bet that I’ve tasted more chardonnay than […]