The Cork Club December 2025 Selections
This month's theme is simply "new"
I’ve partnered The Cellar d’Or, a great wine and cider shop in Ithaca, NY, to create a one-of-a-kind wine club that delivers some of the most delicious and unique wines from the Eastern United States right to your door. These aren’t bin ends or mass-produced, factory wine garbage. These are real wines made by real people. They are the wines I’m drinking myself — from producers you’re probably not going to find in any other wine club.
This is my wine club. Ultimately, I make all the final decisions and stand behind all the wines we ship to you as part of The Cork Club. However, this month, I received a little more help than usual. As you may have seen in my recent story about East Coast nouveau-style wines, I convened a tasting panel of wine nerds and people who love wine but aren’t as nerdy about it.
I also used the full group as a sort of wine club focus group. It helps that there was more than one wine club member in the group. Three of this month’s picks came directly from that tasting. The fourth was a wine that my wife and I enjoyed during a recent visit to Macari Vineyards. She definitely had a hand in that pick.
First up is Martin Family Winery 2025 Marquette Nouveau. If you’ve been a member for a bit, you know that I’ve included previous vintages of this wine, but with this 2025, I think winemaker Phil Plummer has really dialed it in. Plump, juicy, and driven by ripe black and red cherry flavor, this is exactly the kind of wine I want to drink with casual meals.
Even though it had only been bottled a few days before our tasting, Paumanok Vineyards 2025 Chenin Blanc was perhaps the standout. Gently honeyed on the nose, this wine exhibits a pronounced citrus character—lime and grapefruit—with a broad, full-flavored palate and incredible bright, balancing acidity. This wine is a long-time favorite and as good as it is drinking right now, if you can wait until spring to open your bottle, I think you’ll be rewarded.
I love being able to include wines in this club that are typically difficult to source. Fjord Vineyards 2025 Gamay Noir Blanc is one such wine because it’s only available to the winery’s wine club. Or you, if you’re in my club. Green apple and just-ripe strawberry aromas and flavors burst from the glass. Tart and fresh, it’s a higher-acid style but with more than enough flavor to carry through. As it warms just a little, there is a spicy edge and a distinct saline minerality.
Last but certainly not least is Macari Vineyards’ 2024 “Horses” Sparkling Red Blend. I’ve included different “Horses” bottlings in the past but this is the first time it’s been a Bordeaux-style blend and this darkly colored. Depending on your perspective, it’s either a dark rose or a light ruby red—but it’s 100% delicous. Fruity and gently savory at the edges, you can tell it’s 40% cabernet franc.
We have a few extra four-packs available, so if you’d like these wines delivered to your door in time for Christmas, you can still sign up here.
We have a few extra sets of these wines, so if you’re interested, SIGN UP TODAY!
