Plonk Wine Club is a monthly subscription service that provides customers with several different options for monthly wine boxes. I recently received the November mixed box to try and review. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised.
Disclaimer: I received a one-box gift of Plonk Wine Box from my partners at Shareasale. This post contains affiliate links, which means should you click on one and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price, at no additional cost to you.
What is Plonk Wine Club?
Plonk Wine Club is one of the many subscription clubs out there that allows customers to procure a selection of new wines every month. Wines included in the Plonk subscription are artisanal, small-batch, and sustainably grown boutique wines from around the world. There are several options for your monthly subscription club – and each club allows you to select 2, 4, or 12 wines per shipment. Club options include:
- Mixed Wine Club
- Red Wine Club
- White Wine Club
- Cabernet Wine Club
- Pinot Noir Wine Club
- Sauvignon Blanc Wine Club
Pricing starts around $49.99 a month for those who select the two bottle mixed club (and pay for a year’s subscription in advance). Shipping is free, and a signature from someone over 21 is required for delivery.
The Wines I Received
I received two wines – Maison Plantevin Côtes du Rhône 2016 (no longer available) and Domaine de L’Espigouette Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2016. The description of the Maison Plantevin Côtes du Rhône 2016 reads:
Côtes du Rhône wines are reliable, juicy, and guzzle-worthy, but rarely do you come across a Côtes du Rhône that stops you in your tracks. Well, this organically grown bottling from Maison Plantevin, which is comprised of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, is an entirely different story. Intensely aromatic and expressive, this wine is alive with fresh lilacs, bright raspberry fruit, and vivid acidity. Brought up in stainless steel, this is a perfect versatile, crow-pleasing food wine.
The Domaine de L’Esigouette Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2016’s description is:
This exceptional Côtes du Rhône Blanc is made of 70% Viognier and 30% Grenache Blanc and is surprisingly bright, clean and light-weight in style, which is not typical of Rhône whites, which can oftentimes com across flabby and heavy. Instead, this boutique bottling is floral, nervy, and vivacious, showing tangy apricot, bold white peach, and gorgeous honeysuckle notes.
In addition to providing cards with information about each wine, they have suggested food-pairing recipes. We did not make one of the suggested pairing recipes, though I am sure that they are wonderful. Every month, subscribers can go to the website and find what’s in their box, and a list of three suggested recipes to accompany their wine.
The Maison Plantevin
I liked this wine more than did Wining Husband. He found it a bit too rough. The nose promised butter and notes of kalamata olives. Upon swirling and tasting, there was definitely a strong olive theme – I found there to be notes of olive oil, Kalamata and green olives. There were notes of black pepper, paprika, sage and time, and unlike my husband, I found it to be very smooth. I actually wound up using the last of this wine in my favorite cranberry sauce recipe – and it came out amazing! (I used it in place of the white wine vinegar).
The Domaine L’Esigouette
Both of us really enjoyed this wine. It had honey and apple on the nose, very in-keeping with the description of it. It also had notes of hay and sour apple. This wine was very crisp. It almost behaved like a full-bodied Chardonnay – butter, oak, and spice were all there on my palate after drinking it.
The Verdict
I enjoyed the opportunity to try a couple of new wines. If we weren’t skipping out on subscription services this year as part of a budget challenge, we might be inclined to subscribe to this one!
