Plonk Wine Club Focuses on Hidden Gems

Want to enjoy small-batch artisanal wines without sifting through dozens of humdrum bottles?  Read on.

Top Tastemaker Unleashes Talent

Etty Lewensztain is a bona fide wine talent. She was named to the Wine Enthusiast “Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers List” and Wine & Spirits “30 Under 30 List of Top Young Talent in the Wine World.” That’s nice for her – but even nicer for you, because she wants to share her expertise.

Plonk Wine Club is the brainchild of Lewensztain. Based on our experience, “plonk” it isn’t. It’s a great gift idea just in time for the holidays.

Plonk is a somewhat dismissive term for inexpensive, unremarkable wine. The Plonk Wine Club, on the other hand, has assembled some wines designed to mesmerize the adventurous wine lover. We recently sampled a Plonk shipment and have become fans.

Our package included:
2016 Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley Chile
2015 Lusenti Gutturnio Frizzante, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
2016 Macchialupa Beneventano Falanghina, Campania, Italy
2015 Santomas Refosk, Koper, Slovenia

Pick A Plonk

The wine club is focused on organic, biodynamic and truly authentic wine. Club members can choose from a number of options ranging from two bottles to a case, shipped monthly. You also have choices on the type of wines you receive: mixed, white, red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. You can go monthly and cancel whenever you choose. If you lock in a longer duration, you get a discount. A four-bottle mixed red and white plan is $95 per shipment, but goes down to $90 if you commit to a full year.

This is a great opportunity to try wines you wouldn’t normally experience. One of the Sauvignon Blanc choices, for example, is a Rogue Valley Sauv Blanc by Leah Jorgensen. Only 120 cases were made.

Fantastic Voyage

The selection we received is eclectic and cool. Casablanca Valley is an exciting region for white wines in Chile. The flavors are crisp and distinct from the New Zealand version. I’ve been wanting to explore the whites from this area. The Matetic EQ is organic and biodynamic.

Falanghina is one of hundreds of native Italian grapes that you won’t find outside of the “boot.” The Lusenti Gutturnio Frizzante is made with Barbera and Bonarda. To add to its uniqueness, it is a red wine finished in a slightly fizzy “frizzante” style designed to drink ice cold.

If those three wines weren’t intriguing enough, perhaps you’d like the Santomas Refosk. Refosk is a grape I’ve never had before – and I’ve tasted more than 100 different varieties. We served this Slovenian wine at a recent dinner party and several guests rated it above a pricey Napa Cabernet. It’s expressive with notes of blueberry and a healthy dose of pepper.

If you enjoy traveling the globe by the bottle, or discovering treasure wines closer to home, Plonk Wine Club is recommended.

Full disclosure: We received this wine as a marketing sample.