30/10/2022
On a recent trip to Adelaide for my twinnies’ 26th birthday, driving across the potholed moonscape that was (before the repairs) the Western Highway, I received a message from . I know Justin from but it soon became apparent from our message exchange that he’d moved on (on v good terms with his mates ) to a new, super interesting project. Tell me more, Justin, I said. He did. And do it transpired that before heading to Adelaide I detoured to McLaren Vale on a Friday morning to meet up with Justin .wines (& ) co-winemaker Ben Caldwell. Great detour!!
Ben went to Adelaide Uni and in 2010 met Mauricio Ruiz Cantú, sparking a friendship that, after four years at Uni together would eventually become , & .wines .
In 2013 after a few too many bottles of wine, Ben & Mauricio registered the company name Juguette Wines. Which means ‘Toy’ in Spanish. 2013 first Juguette wine that was sold in Mexico.
* Everyone always asks why Mexico? Well, the short answer is Mauricio is Mexican. But the long story has some more logic. Australian wine at the time was less than 0.1% of the market in Mexico. Ben & Mauricio also believed Australian wines suit the palates of the Mexican consumer. Thanks to a culture of steak house dining, classic South Australian Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignons seemed like a no brainer in Mexico.
There’s more to learn about this story, about & .wines in particular, but I’ll leave that for a future post. This is just a teaser…🤭
In the meantime, all six .wines are now available , so rush on in to try them, they’re delicious.
We work on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people and acknowledge them as traditional owners. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present & emerging.
