While there are undoubtedly some Vineyard & Winery Show visitors who join Matthew Jukes’ masterclass purely for the expert insights he delivers on that year’s six chosen wines, it seems clear that many of us are also there for the pure entertainment value.
Other wine experts could deliver the same verdict and offer the same analyses of the same six wines, but somehow it just wouldn’t be the same without Matthew’s wicked sense of humour, ability to connect with his audience and pure enthusiasm.
Those who attended the 2025 lunchtime tasting were not disappointed, with the usual blend of outstanding English wines, wit and wisdom once again proving a highlight of the show.
By tradition, the six wines are those reviewed by Matthew in his November and December columns for Vineyard magazine, and this year, the fifth, was no exception. As he uncorked proceedings at the event, sponsored by Gullands Solicitors, Matthew pointed out that he has now contributed an impressive 98 columns to the magazine.
His first three wines were based on an old “dinner party game” whereby Matthew would choose three wines that together came in under a fixed price. He had sensibly increased the maximum figure for the game’s 2025 relaunch to a modest £75, but proved he was still adept at playing it.
First up to welcome the dinner party guests was Flint Vineyard’s MV Charmat, which Matthew described as “outstanding” and a “secret weapon”, adding that it was a “really glorious, even, but really quite complex white wine”
Matthew said that his attempt to find what grapes had been used in the Charmat had proved difficult, with a number of websites mentioning different varieties, before adding: “But I don’t really care – just taste the wine.”
Oxney Organic’s 2023 Chardonnay was the next wine to be sampled, with Matthew introducing it by noting that the UK “really knows what it is doing with Chardonnay”. He said the wine had “a refined style” that would keep the party going and said that Oxney’s terroir had given the vineyard its own identity.
It is unlikely that in the original dinner party game Matthew would have been choosing a UK red wine, but the changing climate and the increasing skills of the country’s winemakers meant that for the 2025 edition he was able to offer his guests Vale Vineyard’s 2023 Robin Goch.
A blend that includes 65% Rondo, 22% Cabaret Noir and 9% Divico has given the wine, in Matthew’s view, “a seamless texture” and a polish that made for a smooth-drinking dinner party wine while helping to keep the total bill for the evening at under £75. The wine, which won WineGB’s Best Alternative Red Wine award for 2025, costs just £23 from the vineyard.
Moving to December’s wines, Matthew introduced Walgate’s 2022 Pinot Blanc as the first in a category he called “If you like this, you will like this” – in this case comparing the wine with a good Chardonnay. Describing it as “a serious, serious piece of work”, he later described it as “off the bloody scale”.
The Simpsons’ 2023 Rabbit Hole Pinot Noir was put forward as a good choice for those who liked a red Burgundy, with Matthew describing it as “beautiful wine – light but not thin”. He said the vineyard’s wines were “increasing in gravitas and gaining in intrigue and length”.
The final comparison was between a “rich red wine” and Artelium’s 2023 Artefact #9 Cabaret Noir, a “beautifully balanced wine” but one whose labelling caused Matthew’s brow to furrow. While the grape used is described elsewhere, correctly, as Cabaret Noir, the bottle’s rather unconventional label shows it as Caberet Noir.
That confusion notwithstanding, Matthew was full of praise for the “forceful” red, which he said had “attitude” as well as plenty of colour. He expressed surprise that the “beautifully balanced” wine had an alcohol content of just 12% despite its intensity.
It was, as always, an enjoyable hour during a busy day, and one which blended wit and wisdom with as much skill as a winemaker blends grapes.
For more like this, sign up for the FREE Vineyard newsletter here and receive all the latest viticulture news, reviews and insight
