Matthew Jukes started his career in wine in 1987, working with consultant James Rogers at the Barnes Wine Shop, London. From there, he moved into buying for Bibendum Restaurant & Oyster Bar, London.
Matthew regularly lectured and spoke at wine conferences, conducting masterclass tastings all over the world. Made an honorary Australian in 2012, he penned 14 wine books and launched his own award-winning drinks brand that is now sold in 13 countries, but for us he will always be known as our friend and as a champion of the English and Welsh wine industry.
Matthew was present at every Vineyard magazine event and, with unsurpassed dedication, wrote a witty and compelling wine column in these pages every month. The magazine’s publisher, Jamie McGrorty, adds his own tribute to Matthew:
I first came to know Matthew when we launched Vineyard magazine in 2018. Matthew had been a long-time champion of the growing English and Welsh wine industry and was incredibly supportive of our team. He gave us some of his characteristic confidence at a nerve-racking time.
As anyone who has spent any time in Matthew’s company will know, he took every opportunity to be generous. I once told him that I loved Pontet Canet, and the next time we met he had decanted a bottle for me as a surprise. As tributes pour in from around the globe, it is clear that Matthew made that same kind of impact on everyone he met.
Matthew wanted to share the joy of the wine experience with everyone, so each wine was a centrepiece, a conversation starter, but it was never long before the laughter flowed and the conversation turned to history, sport, art or even, on occasion, his love of satirical cartoons.
When we at Vineyard organised our first tasting event back in 2019, Matthew suggested that he conduct a masterclass, taking guests through six English and Welsh wines that he felt warranted particular acclaim.
The event was held in the middle of a field at Plumpton College, with room for just 30 people in our little marquee, and I will always remember Matthew saying that it was the cutest and smallest masterclass he had conducted. Despite that, he treated it as if it were a grand event, providing those 30 guests with his entertaining, humorous and down-to-earth commentary on each wine.
The way he eulogised over each glass, describing every mouthfeel in his flamboyant way was a delight to behold, and everyone went away feeling they had been part of something special.
From 2022 onwards, Matthew used his tasting Masterclass at the Vineyard & Winery show to raise money for the Drinks Trust charity, again showing his generosity.
This is my overriding memory of being with Matthew, and it’s one I am sure everyone who met him will share; you felt you had been in the presence of someone who was truly special, totally gifted at his trade and someone who had such a deep passion not just for wine, but for all those he cared about.
Just a few days before his death on 6 August 2026, Matthew wrote his last column for Vineyard, which we are publishing in his honour and as a tribute to his talent, warmth and generosity. Our thoughts are with his wife Amelia and with the two sons they shared, Rollo and Victor, as well as his two daughters Isadora and Elspeth. Matthew will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
