The Shalach Manos Basket comes in four variants built from two independent choices: wine color and bag size. For most gift-givers, Red Wine with Regular bags ($90) is the fuller, more traditional pick, while White Wine with Mini bags ($56) is the lighter, more budget-friendly option, and the other two variants split the difference.
What's the Same Across Every Variant
All four Shalach Manos Basket variants share the same core structure: one bottle of kosher wine from Covenant, a real kosher winery, plus three bags of biltong, one of each flavor, Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic. What changes is which wine bottle you get (Covenant Red C 2021 or Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022, both 375ML) and which biltong bag size you get (1oz mini or 3oz regular). Those two choices, made independently, produce the four available variants.
Red Wine vs. White Wine
Covenant Red C 2021 is the red option, Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022 is the white. Both are 375ML bottles from Covenant. Choosing between them is a matter of what your recipient drinks, red wine pairs with a broader range of foods for most drinkers, white wine skews lighter. Grub Company's product listing doesn't state a formal recommendation for one wine over the other, it's a straightforward preference choice built into each basket variant.
Red Wine Basket
- Includes Covenant Red C 2021 (375ML)
- Available in Mini ($60) or Regular ($90) biltong bag size
- Costs $4 more than the equivalent white wine variant at each bag size
- A safer default for gift-givers who don't know their recipient's wine preference, since red is more commonly consumed
White Wine Basket
- Includes Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022 (375ML)
- Available in Mini ($56) or Regular ($86) biltong bag size
- The lower-cost wine option at each bag size
- The better pick for a recipient you know prefers white wine specifically
Mini vs. Regular Biltong Bags
Bag size is the other independent choice. Mini bags are 1oz per flavor, three bags total. Regular bags are 3oz per flavor, three bags total. Both sizes always include one bag of each of the three biltong flavors, the size changes the portion, not the flavor selection.
Mini Bags
- 1oz per biltong bag, 3 bags total (one of each flavor)
- Available with White Wine ($56) or Red Wine ($60)
- Lower total price, a tasting-size portion of biltong
- Fits a lighter gift budget or a gift exchange with several recipients
Regular Bags
- 3oz per biltong bag, 3 bags total (one of each flavor)
- Available with White Wine ($86) or Red Wine ($90)
- Higher total price, a full-size portion of biltong per flavor
- Fits a single, more substantial gift where the recipient will actually snack through all three bags
All Four Variants Side by Side
| Variant | Wine | Bag Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Wine / Mini | Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022 | 1oz x 3 bags | $56.00 |
| Red Wine / Mini | Covenant Red C 2021 | 1oz x 3 bags | $60.00 |
| White Wine / Regular | Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022 | 3oz x 3 bags | $86.00 |
| Red Wine / Regular | Covenant Red C 2021 | 3oz x 3 bags | $90.00 |
Best For: Picking the Right Variant
Best for a budget-conscious gift exchange: White Wine / Mini at $56, the lowest-priced variant that still includes wine and all three biltong flavors.
Best for a recipient whose wine preference you don't know: the Red Wine variants, since red is the broader default across most drinkers.
Best for a bigger, more substantial host gift: Red Wine / Regular at $90, the fullest version of the basket with 3oz bags and the red wine option.
Best for a recipient who specifically drinks white wine: White Wine / Regular at $86, giving them a full-size biltong portion alongside their preferred wine.
There's no single "best" variant, the right pick depends on your recipient's wine preference and how substantial you want the gift to feel. Red Wine / Regular ($90) is the fullest option and a safe default when you're unsure of preferences. White Wine / Mini ($56) covers the same core gift, kosher wine plus three biltong flavors, at the lowest price point.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the price difference between mini and regular bags?
Regular bags add $30 to the price compared to mini bags at the same wine color. White Wine / Mini is $56 versus White Wine / Regular at $86. Red Wine / Mini is $60 versus Red Wine / Regular at $90. The $30 gap reflects the jump from 1oz to 3oz biltong bags across all three flavors included in the basket.
Does the red wine basket cost more than the white wine basket?
Yes, red wine adds $4 at each bag size. White Wine / Mini is $56 while Red Wine / Mini is $60. White Wine / Regular is $86 while Red Wine / Regular is $90. The biltong contents, flavors, and quantities stay identical between red and white at the same bag size, only the wine bottle and price change.
Do all four variants include the same biltong flavors?
Yes, every variant, regardless of wine color or bag size, includes one bag each of Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic biltong. What changes across variants is the bag size, 1oz for mini or 3oz for regular, and the wine bottle, Covenant Red C 2021 or Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022. The flavor lineup itself never changes.
Which wine bottle comes in the Shalach Manos Basket?
You choose between two Covenant wines: Covenant Red C 2021 for the red variant or Covenant Blanc de Blancs 2022 for the white variant, both 375ML bottles. Covenant is a kosher winery, and the wine bottle size stays the same, 375ML, regardless of which biltong bag size (mini or regular) you pick alongside it.
Is the mini bag size big enough as a real gift, or is it too small?
The mini bags are 1oz each, three bags total, one of each biltong flavor, alongside a full 375ML wine bottle. It's a smaller biltong portion than the regular 3oz bags, but it still delivers the full basket concept, wine plus all three flavors, at a lower price point. Whether it reads as "enough" depends on how much your recipient snacks, not on whether the gift feels complete.
Can I buy just the wine or just the biltong without the full basket?
The Shalach Manos Basket product listing describes it as a bundled item, wine plus biltong together, across all four variants. Grub Company also sells biltong on its own as an individual product outside the basket. This guide covers the basket variants specifically, if you only want biltong without wine, check Grub Company's standalone biltong listings instead.
Which variant is the most popular choice for Purim gifting?
The product listing itself doesn't publish sales or popularity data, so there's no verified "most popular" variant to report. What's true across all four is that they share the same core gift, kosher wine plus three biltong flavors, and differ only in wine color and bag size. Pick based on your recipient's wine preference and how substantial you want the biltong portion to be.
