There is no denying that any wine tastes better in the right company. Wine was made for sharing with friends, with loved ones, or with that someone special.
And at the quirky small-run wine producers, JAQK Cellars, they have taken that idea a step further with their range of poker-themed wines inspired by that time-honoured ritual of the Friday night card game. Their name, based on the four main playing cards, and their tag line “Play a little,” say it all about their approach to enjoying wines.
In association with leading design studio Hatch design, over the years JAQK Cellars has produced a number of classic labels featuring both playing cards and poker chips. You’ll even find some inspiring poker wisdom written around the cork. The company has even produced its own JAQK playing cards, which have become something of a collector’s item.
With such distinctive branding, it is no surprise that their wines have become a huge hit with the casinos in nearby Las Vegas. JAQK was even named the official wine of the World Series of Poker in 2009, just a year after it began production.
Yet when it comes to making its wines, JAQK isn’t about to take any risks — every aspect of the harvest and production is planned to the minute in order to maximise the flavours of the final product.
Take their delicious High Roller 2013 Chardonnay for example. After a spectacular year of the very best growing conditions in their Oak Meadows Vineyard, they hand-picked their grapes at night to ensure that they arrived at the winery cool and fresh. The result is a crisp, fresh, citrus Chardonnay aimed at ‘those who go big at the dining table as well as the gaming table’.
The 2013 High Roller range also includes an intense Cabernet Sauvignon, which is rich with dark berry fruits and velvety tannins, and a robust Pinot Noir that balances earth tones, spice and dark fruits to perfection.
JAQK Cellars also produce a fruity Pinot Noir Rose, fresh with flavours of strawberry and guava. Branded with the name ‘Charmed’, it’s easy to see where this fits into their poker-inspired philosophy.
Each run is restricted to just 2,600 cases, which avoids the disappointing blandness of so many mass-produced wines; and each new wine is named by Vinnie Chieco, the man who named the iPod!
JAQK was founded in 2008 by renowned Napa vintner Craig MacLean and his wife Cynthia, and it is based in the Napa Valley, to the north of San Francisco. Here, it benefits from grapes drenched in the California sunshine and washed by the cool ocean breezes and rolling fogs of the Pacific Ocean.
If you’d like to see how these card sharks play their hand to produce such winning wines, you can book a tasting at their historic store in downtown San Francisco and relish their latest vintages on the rooftop lounge. Groups of 6-12 people can book a private tour, while individuals and smaller groups can join their open tours, held on the third Wednesday of every month.
Choosing wine from a small producer can often feel like drawing a random card from the deck, but with JAQK, you can rest assured that they work as hard as they play to bring you a full house of trump cards.
