Bruce Jack Wines

Who is Bruce Jack and what are Bruce Jack Wines?

You might have seen these distinctive labels in your supermarket, as Bruce Jack Wines are already in 2000 stores across the UK (Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Co-op and Asda), but if you know little else about Bruce Jack, read on.⁣
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Bruce Jack is the fastest growing winemaker-owned South African brand and Bruce Jack, as a person, is that winemaker. As the head winemaker at Accolade (Kumala, Fishhoek and Hardy’s), Bruce has seen the big brands from the inside, but now he’s focusing on his own, one that truly aligns with his values. ⁣

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Bruce believes that value is the master of every wine and that he can deliver this in a way that is kind to the environment (Bruce Jack Wines aims to be the most environmentally aware global wine brand) and the community, without compromising on the quality and taste of the wine.⁣

The range of Bruce Jack Wines

I have some bottles of the Reserve Collection to taste – a range of ‘super-premium, small volume hand-crafted wines’, made from hand-picked grapes from ‘identified and specially-grown vineyards’. These aren’t expensive wines – they retail at £10 each - and I was most interested to taste the Pinotage. A somewhat difficult grape to work with, Bruce Jack jokes: ‘Pinotage smells fear on a winemaker at 20 paces’. For me, the much-maligned burnt rubber characteristic was absent here – there was liquorice and something a little medicinal, but the overriding notes were black cherry, blackcurrant and marzipan. I liked it better the day after opening, alongside beef steak, as I found the flavours were softer and more integrated.⁣
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I also tried the ‘Mary Le Bow’ Estate Blend 2014 (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), one of Bruce Jack’s ultra-premium wines, priced at £19.99. Plenty of lush black fruits, with quite a savoury mid-palate and a herbal, spicy finish, making it a nicely elegant dinner wine. ⁣
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As well as the supermarkets I mentioned, you can also grab these wines from @mindmap_wine. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these wines or have seen them around and fancy giving them a go. #buysouthafricanwine⁣