I usually approach carmenere cautiously. Due to the nature of the grape, if producers harvest underripe grapes it results in a strong green pepper aroma and flavor. A little bit of that can be OK, maybe even interesting. But too much of it is just not enjoyable. When carmenere is done right, however, it can […]
Marques de Casa Concha, Chardonnay – Yummy!
I’ve written about many different wines from Concha y Toro. After all, they are the biggest wine producer in Chile and Chile is a great source for good wines at a reasonable cost — bargains, in other words. Given its size, it’s no surprise that Concha y Toro has several different brands that sell at […]
Casillero del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon – Devilish Release
Casillero del Diablo is no stranger to Cheap Wine Ratings. Chile has been a great source or good, affordable wines for years. And Casillero Del Diablo is a big Chilean brand that’s been churning out bargain bottles for years. I’ve honestly had a love/hate relationship with Casillero del Diablo. Sometimes I find their wines to […]
Nik Weis St. Urbans Hof, Wiltinger “Alte Reben”
In German, “alte reben” means “old vines” and that’s what the source of the grapes in this riesling. It comes from a 22 acre parcel in the Schlangengraben vineyard which was established in the early 1900’s and some of the vines date to that time. It’s along the banks of the Saar river, a narrower […]
Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and many men will be looking for flowers or chocolates or something sweet for their significant other. But if you want to something a little different, something unique, yet still in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, this wine may be just what you need. Rosa Regale is a sparkling Brachetto d’Acqui, […]
Cosentino, Cigar Old Vine Zinfandel
Zinfandel is wine with an attitude. It’s a wine that evokes a passionate fan base for those who love it for being bold and brash. And it’s a wine that has its detractors too, also due to it being a bold and brash style of wine. Cigar Zin, from Cosentino Winery, is one of those […]
Bila-Haut, Cotes Du Roussillon Villages 2015
I always like to find consistent, reliably-good and affordable wines. That can be a hard thing. Sometimes you find a bargain wine you love and then the next year it’s not so good. Or you find that hidden gem, but so does everyone else and the price begins to creep up. This wine, Bila-Haut by Michel […]
Selbach Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett
Wow, the name of this wine is a mouthful. Selbach Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett. But a mouthful of this wine is a good thing. This is a style of riesling I often seek out because I think they go well with food pairings. It’s a “halbtrocken” which translates literally to “half dry” but I often […]
Frontera, After Midnight Red Wine
Chile is a great region for bargain-priced wines and hence I find myself reviewing a lot of wines from Chile. Some of them are great and some of them are meh! But what do you expect when you’re tasting the cheap stuff. And at $5.99 per bottle, this one is about as cheap as it […]
Peter Zemmer, Rolhüt, Pinot Noir
Many casual wine drinkers I know only think of Tuscany when they think of Italian wine, but the number of different wine regions in Italy and the varying styles of wine you can get from those regions is mind blowing. While I have many “favorite” Italian wine regions, one of them that many Americans are […]