The people’s choice of Aussie sauvignon

2014 Wakefield This cabernet sauvignon is a perfect example of just how downright delicious today’s Australian wines are, says Matthew Jukes.

Matthew Jukes
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published
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2014 Wakefield, Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley/Coonawarra, South AustraliaAbout £16.99-£21.99, OzWines.co.uk, CheersWineMerchants.co.uk, FarehamWineCellar.co.uk, HailshamCellars.co.uk, AmpsWineMerchants.co.uk.

This is one of the 51 wines that joined me on this year's "100 Best Australian Wines Roadshow" tour around the country. These wines provide a snapshot of what is elite and current in the top-flight Aussie wine scene, covering all styles and regions in this country's complex offering.

What I find fascinating about this Roadshow is that I listen in, very carefully, to everyone's questions, likes and dislikes, desires and opinions about all of the wines in this showcase. It is the most informative and illuminating conversation about wine that I hear in the course of my various vinous initiatives and it is clear that the UK wine consumer has realised a few massive facts about top-flight Australian wine.

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Firstly, that "fruit bombs", "over-oaked chardonnay", "porty reds" and "sunshine in a glass" are all a very distant memory. Today's top wines are perfectly balanced, refreshing, energetic, stunning value for money and also first class, standing shoulder to shoulder with all of the world's acknowledged greats.

I have picked out this cabernet sauvignon, itself a genius piece of dual-regional blending, as a perfect example of just how downright delicious today's Australian wines are. Wakefield's Jaraman is the kind of wine people fall head over heels in love with every single one of the 2,000 people who have already tasted it have not been able to resist its charms. But don't just take my work for it listen to the voice of the people.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).

Matthew Jukes
Matthew Jukes

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.  

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’.  He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner. 

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy.  His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.

 

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