3 wine clubs perfect for adventure seekers

Wine is more than just a drink of choice after a long stressful day — it's a way that friends and family connect.

"There’s a lot of moments in people’s lives — whether that's a party or coming back home after long day and having glass of wine or a wedding celebration — a lot of people share those moments over a glass of wine," Collin Williamson, manager of business development at Winc, said.

Winc

Winc is a monthly wine club that is looking to help people create memories and experiences without the hassle of having to buy their own wine.

"(Winc) allows people to try a bunch of different wines without being overwhelmed at the grocery store," Williamson said. "There’s hundreds and hundreds of bottles of wine. Most people are going to see a cool looking label and pick that and just hope for the best."

With Winc, members are getting wines that match their specific taste palate

Before signing up for a Winc membership, visitors will fill out a six question palate quiz.

Questions, like how do you like your coffee?

Do you like spicy foods?

Are you an adventurous eater?

Winc then recommends four bottles of wine that match your palate. Members can then order those wines or they can edit their recommendations and choose from Winc's rotating wine list options.

"We give our members a lot of freedom and flexibility to do what they want with our recommendations," Williamson said. "They can add or remove whatever bottles we recommend.

Winc was founded in 2012 under the name Club W. They recently rebranded to Winc after changing directions. The company started out selling third party wine. Today, however, Winc makes its own wine, and sells directly to consumers.

Winc has a product team that travels to different locations around the world to source grapes that are then shipped to their production facility in California. All of their wines are then made in-house.

"By doing that it allows us to control quality of product," Williamson said.

Winc members can cancel their subscription at any time, they can also skip a month delivery. Winc members also have a "ship now" feature that allows them to ship their box at any time.

Most of the wines start at $13 a bottle. Deliveries of four bottles or more come with complimentary shipping.

Visit winc.com for more information.

Plonk Wine Club

Etty Lewensztain believes wine should be an adventure.

She wanted to create a wine club that made it simple to explore delicious, quality wines from different regions and cultures.

“It’s like sitting at a sushi bar and not ordering from the menu, but letting the sushi chef give you whatever is fresh that day,” Lewensztain said.

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Plonk Wine Club provides clients with a monthly curated selection of sustainable boutique wines from around the world. Many of the wines featured are grown using organic methods.

“Most large corporate wine clubs use commercial bulk wines with a lesser focus on quality,” Lewensztain said. “It’s not a very personalized experience.”

Lewensztain said Plonk Wine Club never sends the same wine twice. Plonk Wine Club focuses on indigenous grapes that can transport clients to a different culture.

“You won’t see too many examples of Chardonnay or Merlot,” she said. “We only use wines that you will find in high-end restaurants, not at big box stores.”

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At Plonk, there are no taste palate questions. Instead, there is the curated wine club or the grape variety wine club.

The curated wine club offers provides either red wine, white wine or mixed bottles every month, three months, six months or year. You can receive two, four or 12 bottles.

The grape variety wine clubs include Cabernet, Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc.

Every month, Plonk Wine will send two bottles of wine — the first of which is the style of wine you chose. The second is a wine that complements that category.

“Our passion is to bridge people to explore (wines) that are lesser known,” she said.

Every wine club membership includes detailed tasting notes and recipe pairings with every shipment. Members also receive free issues of Imbibe magazine, the drink culture magazine.

The curated wine clubs start at $49.99 a month; the grape variety wine clubs start at $69.99.

Visit plonkwineclub.com for more information.

Nicholas Wines

Enjoy a seasonal wine club that features four premium wines that are shipped four times a year.

Every shipment comes with three bottles of each wine (12 bottles total). Shipments are mailed June, September, December and March.

Members also will receive tasting notes and food pairings from Restaurant Nicholas in Middletown.

Every shipment features a variety of wines from around the world, including France, Italy and California — all of which match with the seasons. Enjoy French Chardonnays in the summer and delicious Cabernets in the fall.

In addition, you will receive information-packed tasting notes along with food pairings from the award winning "Restaurant Nicholas: The Cookbook," to ensure you are getting the most from each bottle.

Chef Nicholas Harary’s “Restaurant Nicholas: The Cookbook” is included as well.

The cost is $250 per shipment. Visit nicholaswines.com for more information.

Read more about wine in Harary's weekly column, which is published Sundays in the Asbury Park Press' Sunday Best section.