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Tim Lemke

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

MontGras Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

We go through a lot of wine in our household.  Now before you get the wrong idea, let me add that it’s usually no more than a glass (roughly 6 – 8 ounces) a day.  But between my wife and me, we can easily consume about 4 – 5 bottles a week.  And as you […]

Apaltagua Carménère Reserva

If you aren’t familiar with carménère, that’s ok.  You’re probably not alone.  For a varietal that has spent much of the latter part of the 20th century in obscurity, and often confused for Merlot, it’s making a nice comeback in some rather familiar places.  To get you caught up on who is doing some nice […]

The Little Penguin Pinot Noir

When you think of wine from Australia you probably think of Shiraz first, as well you should.  Shiraz is Australia’s most planted variety, and it ranks second to France in shiraz/syrah in vines under cultivation.  But I’d be willing to bet that when Australian wine gets mentioned, the last varietal that you think of is […]

181 Merlot

I really want to like this wine.  The overall look of the packaging is clean and simple but the blazoned red “181” on the black label is striking.  I also like the choice of tapered meritage-glass for the bottle.  It looks premium and very up-market.  As I review the wine, I find myself taking a […]

Exploring Wine Country in Paso Robles

Someone once told me that richness in life shouldn’t be measured by how much stuff you accumulate, but by how many of your days are memorable.  Too often we get stuck in our daily routines and don’t get out to adventure.  And if you’re into wine, exploring wine country is an awesome way to add to your […]

St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc

I have often dissed sauvignon blanc from California.  I’ve called it bland, boring, lifeless.  I’m guilty of badmouthing the whole category based on a few underwhelming experiences.  But truthfully, California can produce exceptional sauvignon blanc.  And this bottle from St. Supery proves me wrong for all the bad things I’ve said about Californian sauvignon blanc […]

Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel

It’s been close to 3 years since we’ve reviewed Twisted’s 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel.  It represented a great value back then at it’s $6.99 price tag, but it didn’t get our nod for top zinfandel under $20.  Recently, on one of my routine trips to one of my favorite wine shops, I ran across the […]

Quintay Sauvignon Blanc Review

Continuing the theme of our last review, today we’re checking out a couple more sauvignon blancs from the Casablanca Valley region of Chile.  Both of these come from Quintay, which is a brand that was started by a group of Chilean wine producers all focused on cool climate wines.  Wine from Quintay come from the […]

Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2010

This is the third year in a row that we’ve had the opportunity to review the Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc and after reviewing this wine on multiple occasions, a few things have become evident. First of all, it’s clear that Veramonte consistently makes a really good sauvignon blanc.  They’ve become my “go to” brand for SB. […]

Monthaven Cabernet Sauvignon

We’re back to another box today, or an Octavin to be more precise.  This is a cabernet sauvignon from the Central Coast of California.  When a wine is labeled as coming from the Central Coast, that usually means that the fruit came from a couple different sources because Central Coast is a broad region (or […]