Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to have tasted many barrel samples with some really experienced winemakers. With almost every visit I’ve gained some valuable perspective to help me identify what wines are revealing, and more importantly what they have the potential to reveal. Sampling the Jacob’s Creek brought me back to one tasting […]
Although the label of this wine says that it’s a nerello mascalese, that’s not the only grape that’s in here. There’s also prosecco in this wine and I really think of it as a rosé prosecco because nerello mascalese is primarily used for color. The nerello mascalese grapes in this wine come from Sambuca, Sicily […]
Tonight we’re checking out an inexpensive, yet tasty, prosecco from Villa Sandi. When I hear a name like Villa Sandi, I often assume that it’s just some name given to the wine that the producers thought would sound elegant. But in this case, there is a real villa where the company is headquartered, and it […]
If you haven’t sampled an Argentine malbec recently, you’re really missing out on a unique wine experience. It shouldn’t be any surprise that a country that produces so much juice – Argentina currently ranks 5th in global wine production – should be able to produce high quality wines across every price range. But the quality […]
The Russian River Valley isn’t in Russia, it’s an AVA in Sonoma County, west of Healdsburg. This is a cool climate region, due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean, and as such is an outstanding area to produce both pinot noir and chardonnay. This is where the grapes for this Picket Fence pinot noir […]
I love reading wine labels, particularly when winemakers take the time, and make the investment to tell you a little about their wine. Gnarly Head, takes the time. And if you’ve read my post on Gnarly Head 2009 Chardonnay, you know how I feel about the Gnarly Head Brand. I’m a fan. I’m also a […]
After taking a few days off to enjoy the holidays — and recover from a cold — we’re back at it with at least a quick review tonight. We’ve reviewed a number of wines from X Winery in the past and we’ve never been disappointed. With tasty wines, cool labels and a commitment to sustainable […]
The Chardonnay grape deserves respect. The king of white wine has earned it. But with that earned respect comes great expectation, and these days low to mid-tier producers of Chardonnay face unprecedented levels of competition from varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Viognier, particularly from up and coming foreign producers. So when I […]
Note from the editor: We’ve added a new reviewer to the Cheap Wine Ratings team and this is the first of what will hopefully become many reviews from David Germano. And now, on with his review… This is my first official post on cheapwineratings.com, and my first assignment, ironically, has brought me right back to […]
We’ve been reviewing a lot of pinot noir over the past several weeks and we’re getting toward the end of this series. In the lineup, we’ve only reviewed one from Argentina so far, the Humberto Canale from Patagonia. And the Trumpeter makes it two, this one coming from the Mendoza region. Trumpeter is produced by […]
