Red Wines

Twisted Zin Zinfandel

May 12, 2008 Tim Lemke

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5.31K

Californian Wine

Twist the top off this and celebrate a cork-free bargain.  Twisted Wines are a brand of wine that jumps out at you on the wine shelves.  The marketing guy in me loves this brand.  They have good packaging with a fun attitude, eye-popping shelf talkers and a well-designed website.  And the brand is not all […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Renwood Sierra Foothills Zinfandel

April 28, 2008 Tim Lemke

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4.22K

The Sierra Foothills designation of Renwood Zinfandel, also know as “red label,” is the entry-level Zinfandel from Renwood Winery.  They have some more pricey Zins available, but they are mostly out of the range for Cheap Wine Ratings.  The red label wines from Renwood are produced from their younger vines and are much simpler than […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Alexander Valley Vineyards Zinfandel

April 21, 2008 Tim Lemke

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8.52K

The next series we’re doing on Cheap Wine Ratings is California Zinfandel.  At times Zinfandel is one of my favorite varietals but sometimes it ends up just way too sweet and jammy.  Zinfandel is really a chameleon though, as its wine can have a variety of characteristics from jar-full-of-jam fruit, to spicy, to tannic, and […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Review

April 15, 2008 Tim Lemke

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16.39K

Say it with me: mon-tuh-pul-CHEE-an-no dah BROOT-zo.  It’s one of my favorite Italian wines and not just because it’s fun to say.  It’s a very approachable Italian country wine that is often overlooked.  Yet it is very enjoyable and can have as much complexity as more popular varietals.  It’s much less acidic than many other […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Rubiro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

April 13, 2008 Tim Lemke

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6.43K

Rubiro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is (from what I can tell) a second label from Villa Cervia where oenologist Rino Moretti has been producing wine since 1989. This would be a good choice if you want a red wine that’s not too aggressive.  It’s approachable and soft in every way, making it easy to pair with a variety […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Villa Cerrina Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

April 10, 2008 Tim Lemke

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17.24K

I’ll keep this one relatively short as there’s not much to get excited about. This review adds fodder to my “there’s better places to shop for wine than Trader Joe’s” rant. Yep, it’s another wine from Trader Joe’s that rates less than 80. The fruit is soft in this one. It has a little leather […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

April 7, 2008 Tim Lemke

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12.30K

Azienda Agricola Masciarelli operates 13 estates across Abruzzo totaling about 300 hectares with lots of Montepulciano vines, plus other varietals such as Trebbiano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cococciola and one hectare of Falaghina.  They also have olive groves on many of their estates and are well known for their olive oil sold under the Cvetic […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Fattoria La Valentina Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

April 3, 2008 Tim Lemke

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7.57K

La Valentina is a much younger producer than many of the others I’ve tasted for this series, but they produce a classic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  They were established in 1990 and currently manage over 40 hectares.  They have two vineyards in Abruzzo and the grapes for this label are from the San Valentino vineyard, about 20km from Maiella mountain […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Majolica Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

March 27, 2008 Tim Lemke

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7.58K

The next wine in our series on Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is Majolica from producer Podere Castorani.  The Castorani name comes from the family of surgeon Raffaele Castorani who invented the first surgical procedure to treat cataracts and owned the property in the late 18th century.  The property has since gone through different owners and the winemaking […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva

Filomusi Guelfi Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

March 25, 2008 Tim Lemke

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5.09K

The Filomusi-Guelfi family in Abruzzo, Italy are the producers of this Montepulciano.  The family has been in the region since the 16th century where they have a vineyard of over 9.5 hectares.  The majority of the vineyard (78%) is Montepulciano grapes.  There is so much history behind the vineyards producing Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that it makes me want […]

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4.5

Review: Santa Margherita, Chianti Classico Riserva