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Tim Lemke

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

Viña Casablanca, Nimbus Single Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc

When it comes to sauvignon blanc, I have two top regions I gravitate towards, New Zealand and Chile. And even more specifically pertaining to Chilean sauvignon blanc, I love them from the Casablanca Valley. Historically, the reason I’ve had this preference is the intense tropical fruit aromas and flavors that are often found in sauvignon […]

Nik Weis Selection Urban Riesling – A Tasty Bargain

In my book, summertime = riesling time. Of course that doesn’t prevent me from drinking riesling at other times of the year, but it seems to hit the spot even more in the summer. The cool, crisp flavors along with the citrus, floral and wet stone aromas are perfect for cooling down on a hot […]

Gunderloch, Jean Baptiste, Riesling Kabinett – Wonderful!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to riesling I’ve heard a number of wine drinkers proclaim they don’t like riesling, but I assert they just haven’t had the right riesling. There’s a huge misconception in the US that riesling is just an overly sweet, clumsy wine. But there is plenty […]

L’Escoudouliere Lirac, Intense and Delicious

For ages I’ve found the wines from the Rhone region in southern France to be some of the greatest wines (and often some of the greatest values) to be found. Rhone is one of my “go to” regions when selecting a wine that I feel will highly likely be delicious and go well with food. […]

Salton Intenso Cabernet Franc – Complex and Intenso

I’m always excited to try wines from different regions. While I’ve had plenty of South American wines from Chile and Argentina, I’ve never had an opportunity to try a wine from Brazil until now. While Brazilian wine is new to me, it’s not a new thing. Salton, the winery that produced this wine, has been […]

DeCopas Malbec – Fresh and Fruity

This wine from DeCopas is one that I don’t have a lot of back story for. It’s an Argentine malbec from Mendoza — like many inexpensive malbecs you find in the US. I can also tell you that the DeCopas brand is part of the Trivento portfolio, which is owned by Concha y Toro, the mega-producer from Chile. […]

Santa Rita, Medalla Real Gran Reserva, Sauvignon Blanc

A few weeks ago I reviewed the Santa Rita, Medalla Real Gran Reserva Chardonnay. In that review, I commented that the wine came from the Leyda Valley – which is known more for sauvignon blanc than chardonnay.  Well… wouldn’t you know it, Santa Rita also produces a sauvignon blanc from this regaion. Cool is the […]

Leese Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon

Leese-Fitch is one of the brands produced by “The Other Guys” wine company in California.  While I don’t think of them as a big wine producer, I see their wines everywhere I shop so they must be producing a pretty good volume of wine.  Some of the other wines they produce include Plungerhead, Pennywise and […]

Château La France, Cuvée Gallus — Earthy & Rich

Last year I started highlighting some good, yet affordable wines from Bordeaux.  Here’s another wine in that category. This one comes from Château La France, a pretty large estate in the Bordeaux region at 90 hectares (222 acres) with 75 of those planted. The wine is classified as Bordeaux Supérieur and is made of 60% merlot, 35% […]

Avalon CAB – Fragrant and Tasty

I recently received a bottle of this wine as a media sample and I was intrigued by the story they had to tell along with the wine.  They were reaching out to share news about a change they made to the bottle closure. As consumers, we often don’t give a lot of thought to the […]