The wine world is mourning the sudden loss of Matthew Jukes, one of its most celebrated writers and entrepreneurs, who died this week at just 58 years old.
Libby Brodie, wine writer and close friend of Jukes, describes him as “one of the very best humans I have met in my life,” a tribute that speaks to his reach far beyond the industry.
Jukes leaves behind his wife Amelia, to whom colleagues say he was impossibly devoted, along with his daughters and two young sons, who were the centre of his world.
His career spanned four decades, during which he built a formidable reputation as a communicator, taster, and champion of wines from across the globe.
Brodie recalls first meeting Jukes at a panel event where she had been asked to host an interview with wine experts, finding herself the youngest and one of the few women in the room.
While other panellists largely ignored her before the event, Jukes greeted her with enthusiasm and, during the discussion, turned questions back to her saying, “Well you’re also a wine expert Libby, what do you think?”
That instinct for inclusion, Brodie writes, was entirely characteristic of a man who treated everyone with the same straightforward generosity and lack of snobbery.
He was also known for a strict personal code around hospitality, insisting on paying his way at industry events and donating the equivalent amount to charity whenever a bill had been quietly settled on his behalf.
His annual 100 Best Australian Wines tasting and report was considered a highlight of the wine calendar, and his talent as an event host made him one of the industry’s most sought-after personalities.
In recent years, Jukes took the non-alcoholic drinks world by storm with his Jukes Cordialities range, which swept up multiple awards and secured listings in Michelin-starred restaurants across the country.
The range includes the Believe variant stocked by Tesco, the Jukes 8 Sparkling Rose available in cans from Waitrose and in bottles from jukescordialities.com, and the award-winning Sparkling Collection available direct from his website.
Brodie and Jukes most recently co-hosted the Toast the City Awards together, and she described the experience as a privilege, reflecting the easy professional chemistry they had built over many years.
At a recent wedding anniversary celebration hosted by Jukes, a guest admired a tawny port being served, only for Jukes to press the entire bottle upon them as they left, its considerable value only becoming apparent later.
Brodie closes her tribute with a quietly powerful observation: “Matthew Jukes left the world in a better state than he found it. He is, and always will be, missed.”