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Tim Lemke

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

Casillero del Diablo Merlot Revisited

It was just earlier this year that I posted a review of the 2010 Casillero del Diablo merlot and now we’re on to the 2011.  Although it seems that I could taste a different wine every day of my life and never run out of new wines, I do like to revisit wines I’ve tasted […]

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage

Meritage, pronounced like “heritage” with an M, is a name for Bordeaux-style blends that come from regions other than Bordeaux. This one comes from Robert Mondavi Private Selection.  I think it’s a safe assumption for me to figure that you’ve heard of Robert Mondavi.  The company has a number of different tiers in their wine […]

Rocca Sveva Soave Classico

I’ve been writing about a couple wines from Soave lately and here’s another one that pretty good. Like most Soave, this one is made from 100% garganega.  It’s one of the brands from Cantina Di Soave. The thing that really makes this wine stand out is how aromatic it is.  There’s a floral quality on […]

ReMidas Soave

Here is another Soave that’s worth checking out.  This one comes from Cantina Di Soave under their ReMidas brand. It’s made from 100% garganega grapes and is, of course, from the Veneto region in Italy — where the Soave DOC is located. I know this is a scent description that annoys some people, but I […]

Soave Bolla Classico

Like many Italian wines, the Soave name represents both the region and the style of wine.  The Soave region is in North Eastern Italy, around the city of Verona.  Soave the wine is made primarily from the garganega grape.  It’s often 100% garganega, but sometimes includes small amounts of trebbiano, chardonnay or pinot bianco. Bolla, […]

Geyser Peak Pinot Grigio

Pinot grigio is one of those wines that some people love and other love to hate.  But it’s also a wine that comes to life in a couple different styles.  So I think wine lovers who think they don’t like pinot grigio may have just not tried the right one yet. I generally like pinot […]

Balthasar Ress, Von Unserm Riesling, Dry and Delicious

Like many European wine producers, Balthasar Ress has a long history dating back to the late 1800’s.  Before beginning wine production, there were several generations of butchers in the Ress family.  And even today the Metzgerei Ress butcher shop exists in Hattenheim, a small town along the Rhine river in the Rheingau region of Germany.  Balthasar Ress […]

Albamar Sauvignon Blanc, Tropical and Tantalizing

Here’s a quick sauvignon blanc review. Casablanca Valley in Chile is one of my favorite regions in the world for sauvignon blanc.  It’s a cool-climate region that produces crisp, tropical sauvignon blanc.  And the value of the wines produced there can’t be beat. This one from Albamar showcases some of what makes sauvignon blanc from […]

Calcu Cabernet Sauvignon – OK Aromatics, Fantastic Flavors

I’m starting to sound like a broken record when I say that Chile is a great region for good wine values.  I say this realizing that some readers under 30 may not know what the “broken record” analogy means.  This makes the generation gap painfully obvious to me. A little side story about generation gaps… […]

Tercos Sangiovese

I’m a big fan of sangiovese, but I’m also a little prejudiced with a preference toward Italian sangiovese.  I particularly like sangiovese via Brunello di Montalcino (which usually doesn’t qualify as a “cheap” wine).  I don’t rule out the possibility that other regions can do good things with sangiovese, but Italy has much more experience […]