WAFA is sorry to report the death of Matthew Jukes, wine writer, drinks expert, and creator of the hugely well respected alcohol-free drinks range bearing his name.

Known almost universally as ‘Jukesy’, Matthew had worked in the drinks world for 35 years, and the shock of his passing is being felt across the trade – not least because he was only 58 and had so much left to give.

Spellbinding energy

A man of immense energy and enthusiasm, Matthew was famous for the speed of his tasting, the quality of his tasting notes and the sheer energy of his personality. He was a mesmerising speaker, who could hold a room of guests spellbound but was a prolific writer, too, with over a dozen books and many articles and columns to his name.

In latter years he had become a particularly strong champion of Australian wine – but he was also quick to see the shift towards alcohol-free. In fact, not only was his Jukes Cordialities range of shrubs one of the earliest wine proxies to appear, it remains one of the best.

His whole range regularly won top medals in WAFA, right from the start, and he scooped up Trophies every year: Best Halal Range in 2023, Best Drinks Range in 2024 and 2026, and Producer of the Year in 2025. This year his products won three Golds, four Silvers and three Bronze medals.

Non-alc rockstar

‘Matthew was a rockstar in the alcohol-free space,’ said WAFA Director Chris Losh. ‘He had an amazing palate and inexhaustible energy, and he put those two things together to create a stellar range of drinks.

‘Not only that, but he was a great guy too: sincere, forward-thinking and incredibly supportive to people around him. Our thoughts are with his family at this terribly sad time. But there’s no question - we’ll all miss him.’  

The alcohol-free space has, without doubt, lost one of its brightest lights. So when you read this, please raise a glass to the memory of a great man who was taken from us far too soon; to Jukesy…