Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/142283
Matt Fowles is the winemaker at Fowles Wines. Fowles Standing over six feet tall and wearing a stubbly beard, Matt Fowles typifies the image of the rugged Aussie outdoorsman. "I've always lived off of the land," he explains. But when he speaks, he does so with a thoughtfulness and erudition that feels anything but typical. "We grow our own fruits and vegetables, hunt our own game and raise our own sheep, so it is only natural that we would make our own wine," says Fowles. In a short time, Fowles Wine has become a premier winery in its home state of Victoria. For his tireless efforts, Fowles's Shiraz won first prize at the Great Australian Shiraz Challenge in 2010 and recently Fowles Wine was awarded a medal for contributions to wine tourism. Fowles's current project is the "Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch" line of wines—the first wines blended specifically for wild game. These bottlings showcase the intense flavours and richer textures required for game, but their success more importantly shows that Fowles is an innovator and an experimenter. To obtain the desired textures and flavors for the "Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch" wines, Fowles created unique blends such as Merlot and Lagrein and utilized winemaking techniques such as Chardonnay fermented with wild yeasts. Ever dedicated to promoting his winery and Australian wines in general, Matt temporarily moved his family to Virginia to immerse himself in the American wine market. In 2007 Fowles was named a "Future Leader" of Australian winemaking, and currently he is a member of the Winemakers' Federation of Australia, which examines the reasons for and offers solutions to the current dwindling sales of and prices fetched for Australian wine. Matt has come full circle in his life, returning to protect and promote the land and the wines which he has always loved.—Alexander Weil Kay Brothers Winery: Colin Kay While many current producers in Napa Valley can only trace their wine industry heritage back post-Prohibition days, the Kay Brothers winery came about in 1892, when Herbert Kay planted Shiraz and three years later built the winery. Today, 123 years later, Colin Kay, grandson of Herbert, is running the ship where his father Cuthbert left off. "We still have 1.6 hectares of those original Shiraz plantings, which came from the Hardys Tintara vineyard planted in 1850 by a member of the South Australian Viticultural Association, and they make our Block 6 Shiraz—all produced in the original 1890s facilities." The kind of Shiraz the Kay Brothers produce is of the iconic, age-worthy kind that most Americans have seen little of from Australia. The family owns all their own fruit, and of their coveted Shiraz, Colin boasts, "Here [we] make wines of richness and grace that peak typically at 10 to 15 years but sometimes much longer, as with our 1995 Block 6 Shiraz, which may need another 15 to 20 years." Vintage variation is expected depending on when nature decides to be "bountiful," as Colin puts it, with production totalling between 9,000 and 14,000 cases per year. The 2013 Block 6 shows "nice little pepper nuances, good fruit and a rich palate," while the 2012 is, "richer with slightly more sweet fruit and pepper, hidden tannins that are full and firm." And while most winemakers can tell you about their soils, Colin will proudly explain, "Our soils are confused. A geologist who was involved in preparation of the geology of the McLaren Vale region used to bring field parties to our place because he could show them all of the region on our 80 acre section. As is said, 'Variety is the spice of life.'" PHOTO COURTESY OF QUINTESSENTIAL WINES PHOTO: ERICA BARTEL Fowles Wines: Matt Colin Kay of Kay Brothers Winery. 60 / the tasting panel / july 2013 TP0713_034-65.indd 60 6/24/13 5:41 PM