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Tim Lemke

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

Review: Ruffino, Lumina Pinot Grigio

A couple weeks ago I posted a review of the Corte Giara Pinot Grigio, highlighting the delle Venezie DOC designation on the wine. The wine I’m reviewing today, the Lumina Pinot Grigio from Ruffino, is another wine with the delle Venezie designation. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend reading the background about delle […]

Review: Corte Giara, Pinot Grigio

Have you ever sat down in a restaurant, looked at the wine list and realized you don’t know most of the wines on the list? I know, with Covid-19 you might not be visiting a lot of restaurants lately, so imagine the same scenario at the shelves of a wine shop or scrolling through the […]

Review: Pasqua Romeo & Juliet Prosecco

The locals in Veneto, Italy, where Prosecco is produced, refer to Prosecco as, “Welcome wine.” I like that. I’m a huge advocate for sparkling wines and believe all celebrations and get togethers should include sparkling wine. I know would welcome a glass of Prosecco when someone welcomes me to an event. One of the things […]

Review: Coelheiros Red

For years I’ve been excited about Portuguese wines, primarily because the quality-to-price ratio is often quite exceptional but that’s not all they have going for them. I would call myself a wine geek, and as such I seek out unique varieties of wine and Portuguese wine producers often use grape varieties that differ from the […]

Review: Domaine Bousquet, Virgen, Malbec

As demand for organically-produced foods continues to grow in this country, it only makes sense that interest in organic wines also grows. But it’s not as easy to find organic wines as you would think. A lot of producers will make wine made from organically-grown grapes but the wine itself cannot be classified as organic […]

Where to Buy: Wine Insiders Club

In our current reality of stay at home orders, quarantine, social distancing, etc., I’ve become even more appreciative than before of online wine retailers who deliver to your door. The two primary categories for online wine sales are online wine shops and wine clubs. With shops you can choose specifically which wines you want to […]

Review: Esporão Colheita Branco

Last year I reviewed several wines from the Alentejo region of Portugal, an outstanding region for wines that provide great value. If you haven’t heard of Alentejo, pronounced ah-len-TAY-zhoo, I’m not that surprised. For reasons unknown to me, Portuguese wines don’t seem to get a lot of attention in the United States. But as a […]

Review: 11 Minutes Rosé, Pasqua

11 minutes, that’s how long the juice for this wine remained in contact with the skins after pressing. The winemaker at Pasqua believes that’s the perfect amount of time for the wine to gain its rosé hue from the grape skins. After those 11 minutes, the must is cooled and transferred to a stainless steel […]

Review: Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley Chardonnay

One of the things the Russian River Valley is known for is great Chardonnay. It is one of those areas where climatic conditions are optimal for growing Chardonnay grapes. Conditions like cool breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean, significant diurnal temperature swings, lots of sunshine and sandy soil with good drainage. Within the Russian […]

Review: Domaine Bousquet, Natural Origins Cabernet Sauvignon

Boxed wines get a bad rap. People often assume boxed wines are all bad, but the box is just a vessel and anything can go into it. It’s not a good vessel for storing wine for long periods of time, but it’s perfectly fine for young wines meant to be consumed fresh. And I’ve had […]