Jukes 6 – The Sparkling Red (Alcohol-Free) (25cl can)
£4.45
The wine
Blackcurrant and blackberries lead, with layers of raspberries, strawberries and plums adding an extra dimension.
Jukes Cordialities are the work of the wine critic Matthew Jukes, blends of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices macerated with a backbone of organic apple cider vinegar. The vinegar is the point: it restores the acid line that alcohol would otherwise provide, which is why these work beside food where most alcohol-free drinks fall flat. This is the 25cl can, ready to drink rather than diluted to taste.
The producer
Jukes
View all Jukes winesJukes Cordialities are the work of the wine critic Matthew Jukes, and they are not an imitation of wine. Each is a blend of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices macerated with a backbone of organic apple cider vinegar, developed using the same palate he built a career on, and designed from the outset for the table rather than as a substitute for something else.
The vinegar is the point. Nearly every alcohol-free drink fails at dinner for the same reason: without alcohol or acidity there is nothing to cut through fat or salt, so it reads as sweet and falls flat beside food. Building the blends on cider vinegar restores the acid line that a glass of wine would have provided, which is why these work alongside a course rather than merely occupying the glass.
The range runs to five numbered blends, each with a distinctly dry, savoury profile, served diluted with sparkling or still water to taste. They are also sold ready to drink in cans. Matthew Jukes has written on wine for three decades, and the range carries his reputation directly, which is a considerable thing to stake on a category most critics have been happy to ignore.
