Plonk Review 2024: The Best Organic Wine Club?

Overview

Plonk is a wine delivery service dedicated exclusively to organic and biodynamic wines. Finding organic wines at local shops can be challenging, and the few wine delivery services that offer organic selections generally have only a few organic bottles on hand. With Plonk, you get a selection of sustainably grown and harvested wines from around the world. 

Plonk’s prices are comparable to what many other wine delivery services charge for non-organic wines. And you can save even more money with this exclusive Plonk discount.

I highly recommend Plonk to wine lovers seeking organic bottles. Organic wines aren’t just healthier, they also taste great. If you’re looking for high-quality wines that haven’t been exposed to chemical pesticides or fertilizers, you’ll love Plonk. Read on to find out more. 

What’s on the Plonk Wine List 

Plonk offers over 30 different bottles each month. While the list is small compared to many other other wine delivery services, Plonk does a fantastic job of finding excellent wines from lesser-known regions. You’ll discover wines from Bulgaria, Croatia, Turkey, and Slovenia alongside more familiar areas like France, Italy, and Australia. 

You will find both organic and biodynamic wines at Plonk. Both organic and biodynamic wines avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides and use natural agricultural techniques. But biodynamics also incorporates an ecological approach tailored to the land’s natural rhythms. Many Plonk wines qualify for both labels, and no Plonk wine is made using factory-farmed grapes or harmful commercial agricultural techniques.

In addition to individual bottles, Plonk offers wine bundles. You can choose from packages for special occasions like holidays or dinner parties, order a box of seasonal wines, or even let Plonk curate a mystery pack for you. Bundles come in 6-bottle and 12-bottle sizes. 

You can even order bundles of organic wine combined with cheese or salami. The Organic Wine & Rogue Creamery Organic Cheese Gift Set pictured above combines organic cheeses from Oregon cheese maker Rogue Creamery with a Plonk selection of wines paired for cheeses. The salami bundle is supplied by Portland salami maker Olympia provisions. 

There is a good variety of wine types available. Plonk offers whites, reds, rosés, and even a selection of sparkling wines. I am quite impressed with how well Plonk manages to appeal to different tests while remaining in its organic niche. 

You can also order bottles a la carte from Plonk. The minimum order is 6 bottles that you can choose yourself. With a wine subscription, you get a curated selection. 

Unboxing

Depending on the subscription you choose, you will receive 4, 6, or 12 bottles in your box. Every Plonk box comes with a detailed tasting sheet that includes notes about the wine. Bottles are clearly labeled. The 4 and 6-bottle boxes contain different wines. With the 12-bottle subscription, you get 2 bottles each of 6 different wines. 

All bottles are securely packed with recyclable cardboard shipping trays holding them in place. Plonk’s packaging is environmentally friendly but keeps your bottles safe during their journey to your home. 

You can order from the Plonk Wine Shop without a subscription. Or, if you’re a Plonk subscriber, you can stock up on bottles that you particularly liked in your latest box. Plonk Wine Shop orders have a 6-bottle minimum.

Shortlist of My Favorite Wines

Best Plonk Red Wine: La Morella Barbera 2021

This organic and biodynamic red is made in the Colli Tortonesi region of Piemonte. It’s made entirely with Barbera grapes, a popular Italian varietal that produces richly fruity wines with a sparkling brightness. La Morella Barbera has lucious boysenberry, blackberry and fresh violet notes. It’s also a very versatile table wine that will go well with almost every meal, though it’s especially good with tomato sauces and grilled meats.

Best Plonk White Wine: Fallen Grape Wine Co. Mother 2021

Fallen Grape Wine Co.’s Mother 2021 is an organic-grown California white wine fermented in contact with the grape skins. This gives it an amber-orange hue and rich body more commonly associated with reds. Mother 2021 has bold blood orange, tangerine, and apricot notes with a floral overtone. Pair this one with mushrooms, lentils, or other umami-rich dishes. It also goes well with salmon, cured meats, and spicy Mexican and Indian dishes. 

Best Plonk Rosé Wine: Jasci Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2021

Jasci Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is made with the Montepulciano grape, a central Italian varietal closely associated with Italy’s Abruzzo winemaking region. If you’re used to sweet uncomplicated rosés, this organic Cerasuolo will be an eye-opener. It has the lemony acidity and tannic bite commonly associated with Montepulciano wines, along with a vibrant red hue and a rose petal nose. Pair this one with red sauce pastas, roasted meats, and aged cheeses. 

Prices

Plonk’s prices are very reasonable given the quality of its wines, but it is definitely more expensive than many other wine services we cover. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to check out our list of the best cheap wine delivery services.

You can order Plonk wines without a subscription and choose your own bottles. But you will pay a bit more for the privilege. Wines in the shop start at $28.75 a bottle and go up to around $35. With a 6-bottle minimum, that means you’ll be spending $175 or more. But the good news is that shipping is always free on all orders. 

Shipping & Delivery

All Plonk orders are shipped the first week of the month. If you make your purchase on or before the 1st day of the month, your order will go out that week. If you subscribe after that, you will have to wait until next month’s shipment. According to Plonk’s FAQ, most shipments take between 5 and 10 business days to arrive after shipping. There’s no option to choose the day your order arrives.

All wine deliveries require a signature from somebody who is 21 or older. If you will not be home to sign for your box, Plonk strongly suggests you have your shipments sent to an office or business address where an adult is available to sign for your shipment. 

How Plonk Works

If you want a regular curated supply of organic and biodynamic wines delivered to your door, here’s how to sign up for a Plonk Wine Club subscription. 

How to Sign Up

1. Choose Your Club

Plonk offers a Red Organic Wine Club, a White Organic WIne Club, or a Mixed Organic Wine Club that gives you the best of both worlds.

2. Choose the Size and Frequency of Your Subscription

You can order a 4-bottle box every month, a 6-bottle box every 1-2 months, or a 12-bottle subscription every 1-3 months. You can also order a prepaid subscription for a set number of boxes.

3. Press the Go to Checkout Button

When you have finished making your selections, scroll to the Go to Checkout button located at the bottom of the page, check the Terms and Conditions box, and click the button. 

4. Enter Your Shipping Information

Enter the address where you want your wine subscription shipped. If you are buying for a friend, make sure they will have someone over 21 available to sign for a delivery, or ship it to their work address.

5. Enter Your Payment Information

Enter your credit card information and your billing address if it is different from your shipping address. Congratulations, you’re now a member of the Plonk Wine Club! 

Managing Your Subscription

If you need to change your delivery address, contact Plonk at help@plonkwineclub.com or at 1-877-50-PLONK (75665). Delivery address changes that are made once the package is in transit will cost $20, but changes that are made between shipments are free. Unfortunately, Plonk does not have an app or a live web chat option. 

Customer Support

In addition to her other duties, owner Etty Klein also handles customer support. If you call Plonk with a question about your wines or your order, there’s a good chance Etty will pick up the phone and take care of your issue. It’s not often you get to talk to a certified sommelier about wines. When you subscribe to Plonk, you get to talk to the sommelier who owns the company.

Plonk will refund you for corked or damaged wine bottles, but it doesn’t have a satisfaction guarantee like some other wine delivery services. If you don’t care for a wine in your subscription, Plonk will not offer you a replacement. 

Overall, I give Plonk a solid B+ in customer service. I’d like to see a more detailed FAQ. For example, I had to do my own research to find the difference between organic and biodynamic wines. It would be great to see a section of Plonk’s FAQ dedicated to explaining the difference. And a customer satisfaction guarantee would be nice. But I’m very, very impressed by Etty Klein’s hands-on approach to customer service. So I would say Plonk’s customer service is very strong but still has some room for improvement. 

How Plonk Compares to Other Wine Delivery Services

• Plonk vs Firstleaf: Plonk gives you a small curated menu of organic and biodynamic wines, while Firstleaf lets you choose from a selection of over 200 award-winning wines. 

• Plonk vs Naked Wines: Plonk gives you a selection of organic wines from around the world, but Naked Wines lets you invest in wineries around the world with your Angel membership. 

• Plonk vs Vinesse: Plonk’s wines are all between $25 and $30 per bottle, whereas Vinesse offers you wines at a range of prices from under $15 to over $75 a bottle. 

The Bottom Line: Is Plonk Worth It?

If eating and drinking organic is important to you, Plonk is definitely worth it. And if you’re a big fan of quirky wines curated by a sommelier with unique tastes, you’ll love the wines available at Plonk. Plonk’s menu isn’t very big, but the wines are uniformly excellent and unlike anything you’re likely to find at your local wine retailer. 

That being said, Plonk is a boutique wine delivery service with a personal touch. If you are looking for a large list of conventional wines, you probably do better with one of the companies on our list of the best wine delivery services. 

FAQ

What are biodynamic wines?

Biodynamic wines are produced using a holistic, ecological approach. Both biodynamic and organic wines start with grapes grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Biodynamic winemaking incorporates lunar cycles, cosmic rhythms, and minimal crafting to provide a pure expression of the terroir.

Who owns Plonk Wine Club?

Etty Klein founded Plonk in 2010 and remains the owner and organic wine curator. Klein is not just a certified wine sommelier who chooses Plonk wines. She is also intimately involved in customer service and frequently handles helpline calls.

How long does Plonk shipping take?

Plonk subscription boxes ship on the first week of every month. If you subscribe to Plonk Wine Club on or before the 1st day of the month, your order will be included in the next club shipment. If you subscribe after the 1st day of the month you’ll have to wait for the following month’s shipment. After shipping, your order should arrive within 5-10 business days.