There’s an old idiom about having “Champagne taste on a a beer budget,” that is to say you like expensive things but you don’t have the money to afford those things. Suffering from this affliction is one of the things that drove me to start Cheap Wine Ratings. I literally have Champagne taste on a […]
Varietals
Review: Wittmann, 100 Hills, Pinot Blanc
I’ve commented before about how mind blowing it is to me when I come across a European vineyard that has been in the same family for hundreds of years and this is another one of those stories. The wine estate of Weingut Wittmann has been operated by the Wittmann family since 1663. That’s over 350 […]
Review: Trivento, Amado Sur, Malbec
Do you like malbec with a new world style or an old world style? If you’re a new world kind of malbec drinker and want to find a wine with big flavors at a bargain price, this is one to check out. Like much new world malbec, this one comes from the Mendoza region of […]
Ferraton Père & Fils, Samorëns White Wine
Quite often I recommend Côtes du Rhône as a good region to find red wines of outstanding value, however it is also a great region for finding tasty white wines that won’t break the bank. And here we have an example of that. The Samorëns white wine, from Ferraton Père & Fils, is made from 60% grenache […]
Maryhill Winery, Classic Viognier
I recently wrote about a visit I made to Maryhill Winery in Washington State and since then I’ve had the opportunity to taste yet another one of their wines — their Classic series viognier. And oh what a viognier it is. For those not familiar with viognier, it is a white wine variety that tends […]
Ferraton Père & Fils, Côtes-Du-Rhône Villages, Plan de Dieu
For years I’ve been a big fan of wines from the Côtes Du Rhône region and the sub-appellations within, but Plan de Dieu is an appellation I don’t encounter very often. And it could be one you’ve never even heard of. For a region with centuries of wine making history, Plan de Dieu is a […]
Cline Old Vine Zinfandel – A Whole Lot Behind the Label
When you see a bottle of wine on a shelf, you often don’t know the full story behind the wine. Many consumers find themselves deciding whether or not to buy a wine simply based on the label. But sometimes there’s a lot more behind the label you wouldn’t know unless you looked into it. Such […]
Paul Anheuser, Blanc de Noir
Here’s a wine that offers something rather unique. Sure you’ve had pinot noir, but have you had a white pinot noir? Sure you’ve had a blanc de noir, but have you ever had a still blanc de noir? For those new to the terminology, “blanc de noir” translates literally to mean “white of black.” It’s […]
Bila-Haut, Côtes du Roussillon Blanc
It’s time to check in on a new vintage of a wine that is on my list reliably-good, bargain favorites. The Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Blanc Côtes du Roussillon from Michel Chapoutier. It’s been a few years since I reviewed this wine, the last vintage I reviewed was the 2014 and they’re up to the 2017 […]
Casillero del Diablo, Red Blend – Boldness in a bottle
Red blends seem to be all the rage over the past few years for wine lovers on a budget who want red wine with big flavors. By doing a blend, winemakers have more opportunities to shape the wine into something they think will resonate with consumers. Add a little bit of this and a little […]