Santa and Bacchus have teamed up to find this year's best gifts for wine-lovers. Prices range from under $20 for Wisconsin-made wine charms on up to a few thousand dollars for a wine and food trip to Spain and Portugal.
Plonk Wine Club
The adventurous wine drinker on your gift list will be grateful for a subscription to Plonk Wine Club, which specializes in small-batch wines with a focus on natural and biodynamic choices. "No mass commercial wines," California-based founder Etty Lewensztain said during a recent phone conversation. "And we're passionate about indigenous grape varieties." Monthly selections might include gems such as a luscious red Souson from Spain or an elegant Portuguese white made of 100% Loureiro. There's a range of club options; but four mixed bottles per month in a three-month subscription is $269.97, which includes shipping. Choose all reds, all whites or two of each. They also offer "grape variety wine clubs," for lovers of Cabernet, Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc. If you request Cabernet, for instance, you will receive one bottle of Cab and one bottle that's similar to that grape in style and texture. A three-month subscription is $194.97. Shipments include tasting notes and links to wine-paired recipes — many chosen and tested by Lewensztain — from Food52. To order, call (877) 507-5665 or go to plonkwineclub.com.