Matt Fowles
Smart young guy, with vision and experience beyond his years...and a bit of luck!
- We first met Matt at the London Wine Fair. Genuinely nice bloke and hugely passionate about his wines!
- Not a typical Naked Winemaker, not funded by us and not exclusive in the UK...
- ...but we love his wines all the same! So here he is, bringing you amazing Aussie wines and a big dollop of charm as well.
Vineyard Location
Matt Fowles's Story
Matt Fowles's Story
I’m from the ‘struck by earth shattering vision/opportunity’ school. I am actually a lawyer by trade but decided to swap the vitriol for the vineyard and feed my passion for food and wine.
Back in 2005, I was sitting in the then tallest building in central Melbourne with the biggest law firm in the world thinking about wine and sheep all day! So I decided to bid adieu to my desk and headed up to my family’s sheep farm in the Strathbogie Ranges, purchased a winery and vineyard and teamed up with local boy and winemaker Sam Plunkett to lead Plunkett Fowles winery. It’s been a fun filled seven years and winning the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge Trophy in 2010 for our Ladies who Shoot their Lunch 2008 Shiraz was a massive highlight. However, like most things (fine wine included!), our winery has evolved...
We’re now known as Fowles Wine (Sam Plunkett is now pursuing the massive challenge of completing a Master of Wine), we have acquired a new vineyard (with some exciting new varieties!), our talented winemaker Victor Nash (who’s been crafting our award winning wines alongside Sam since 2002) has stepped up as Chief Winemaker, and I still count myself the luckiest bloke alive to be able to take the Strathbogie Ranges ‘message in bottle’ to all who are game to try our wine!
The world of winemaking is a challenging and massively rewarding one – there is never a dull moment. Here are some of the things I love about the industry and why I’ve never looked back from the corporate world:
- Spending time outdoors
- Understanding (interacting and observing) nature
- The excitement and challenges of dealing with the variabilities of nature!
- The challenges inherent to wine business
- Farming generally – an unbelievably satisfying pursuit
- Time with family, friends and wine-loving people
- Hands on time in the winery
I gave up everything; legal career, home in the city and potentially the love of my life! Happily, I gained the best career imaginable, a beautiful home (I think so anyway) and my girlfriend became my wife!
I really hope you enjoy the wines, please come online and tell us your thoughts!
