About plonk

This is the latest installment of a monthly column on $10-and-under wines we call "plonk." The word plonk began as British slang for the cheapest drink served and is now widely used to mean simple, inexpensive bottles.

"Plonk of the month" is a sequel to Plonkapalooza, a wine feature that ran in Food last fall in which 50 bottles were tasted.This shorter version will include five wines and will appear on the last Wednesday of the month. The list will be posted on Boston.com for at least two months to make it possible to retrieve a couple of lists at once. Wines will be selected to go with the season, so winter's heartier fare might lean more toward reds than whites, but whites will appear more often as the weather warms. We'll list several shops where you can buy these wines, but many others carry them as well. Check with your local merchant first. www.boston.com/ae/food