FOWLES Wine thrives in the ageless granite hills of the cool climate Strathbogies earning the winery several top awards at last year’s state wine show.
Owner and founder Matt Fowles said the team at Fowles Wine based in Avenel were “absolutely super stoked” with the results of the 2024 Victorian Wine Show which highlights the Strathbogie Ranges as an emerging wine region in Australia.
Outstanding outcomes included prestigious awards across white and red varietals.
The Stone Dwellers 2023 shiraz took out top gold while the same label picked up gold for its 2024 riesling.
The panel of judges said of the shiraz and shiraz viognier, 2023 category that it was a “Really nice class to judge”.
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In a bumper class of 70 entries in shiraz and shiraz viognier, 2022 and older, Fowles Wine was collected gold with the popular label Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch 2021 shiraz and a bronze for Upton Run 2022 shiraz.
Bronze was awarded to both Stone Dwellers 2023 Arneis and 2022 Sangiovese.
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch picked up bronze for a 2022 chardonnay.
For Matt, such awards not only benchmarks his wines against others in the state.
“It helps us garner that attention for a different bunch of awards for the most interesting wines in Victoria and for Strathbogie as a lesser known region in Australia,” he said.
As a Victorian, Matt is passionate about the state’s reputation as a cooler climate producer of fine wines that are reflecting the changes in the market.
“Wines from a cool climate have a lot of energy, freshness and brightness,” he said.
“People no longer want the high octane reds and to eat big steaks.
“The world has changed, it is now active wear and Thai salad,” he explained.
He mentioned how “health and well being had become a macro movement”.
Matt agreed there was a move towards drinking less wine and lighter styles with lower less alcohol content.
“Our approach is to craft wines with restrained elegance,” he said.
Fowles Wine was an early adopter of this developing trend where consumers were wanting alternatives to the traditional wine styles.
Matt is a keen ethical hunter who loves to cook and put game on the family table fully using everything he shoots.
Matching a wine to game was the “genesis” of the Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch label he said.
The 2006 vintage was launched in 2008 and captured people’s attention and later vintages continue to be a top seller for the winery.
Matt is also passionate about his 2023 Sangiovese which he describes as being “so good” and a recent arrival in the history of Victorian wines.
He said the Stone Dwellers 2022 vintage was also entered in the 2024 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show held in Mildura in November where it won the gold award for the Sangiovese varietal which was an extremely pleasing result.
Matt is a strong advocate for the value of such awards and said, “most people understand the system” so when they come to the cellar door “we share our results.”
What is on the horizon in 2025 for Fowles Wine?
The main focus in on a new varietal in the vineyard being gamay which has Matt exceptionally excited.
“Gamay is a lighter style red which in the 14th century was outlawed by the Duke of Burgundy,” he said.
In 1395 there were concerns that gamay would outshine pinot noir due to its abundant production hence its banning from the Duchy Bourgogne in France.
The duke claimed it was “evil and disloyal”.
Like chardonnay and aligoté, gamay is a relation of the pinot noir grape.
Matt describes gamay as the “underdog” but well suited to grow in granite-based regions.
“We are very excited, and I have met with people in Burgundy.
“The first vintage will be harvested March, and the earliest bottling will probably be August or September,” Matt said.
“It doesn’t need a lot of maturation.”
“We can’t wait to see what our winemaker Matt Harrop can do with this vintage.”
Harrop who joined the team at Fowles Wine August last year as chief winemaker is highly acclaimed in the Australian industry.
His extensive experience in climates and soils similar to those in the Strathbogie Ranges will drive continued success for Fowles.
For Matt he is so chuffed that his winemaker shares the same wine philosophy 100 per cent.
Matt’s other passion is sustainability and working in tandem with the natural environment which comes with challenges.
“Every farmer has to make choices about how to farm their land,” he conceded.
Matt as a “nature kid for ever” confesses he could talk all day when it comes to the importance of eco systems and biodiversity within his property.
One of the positives of the location of the winery in the ancient granite hills is the large areas of remnant vegetation that remain untouched and provide habitat that micro-bats love according to Matt.
In March 2024, the winery partnered with the University of New England (UNE) for a ground-breaking study of insect-eating micro-bats as vineyard pest control, which could ultimately save Australia’s wine industry $50 million per annum.
The joint study is investigating whether the micro-bats are consuming pests in the vineyard at the same rate as in cotton farms, with the potential to boost the use of natural resources in the wider wine industry.
Asked whether it was worth undertaking, Matt said “absolutely” but it was in continuum until the full benefits are known or can be measured.
The university also conducted a full ecological survey of everything in the local environment which has provided a tool to use in the vineyard.
“We use organic practices where possible,” said Matt who also subscribes to being “chaotic in the extreme” and surrendering to that.
Not a fan of mono-culture Matt said he is happy with “messy” vineyards and maintaining a diverse eco system.
Another initiative aimed at embracing the power of nature, Fowles partnered with Euroa Arboretum to establish insectariums – which also act as ‘seed orchards’ – encompassing diverse native flowering shrubs and trees within their vineyards and farmland.
“It was a beautiful idea which is now part of our Fowles VIP program where members can choose to earn rewards or make a donation to our partnership with the Euroa Arboretum,” Matt said.
The vineyard’s Fieldsong range of wines is also in continuum according to Matt as a reflection of working hand in hand with nature.
“When you are in the vineyard now its noisy and it has a hum which is a sound indication of its health,” Matt explained.
What is Matt’s thoughts on the future of the Australian wine industry.
“I am very optimistic although the industry has got some challenges,” he said.
Despite high interest rates and cost of living pressures Matt said the Avenel cellar door and whole complex has been busy.
He puts this down to his amazing team of staff and the willingness of people to pay for a quality experience.
Matt also expects Victorian wines to continue the trend towards a lighter style which is indicative of the changing lifestyles of consumers.
