Fowles Are You Game Shiraz 2020 (Strathbogie)

The quirky and intriguing labels from Fowles add to the allure of the wines and the introduction by Fowles themselves best describes the philosophy behind Are you Game Shiraz 2020.

Winemaking is a game of quick wit, experience and endurance. Each year Mother Nature challenges us to a match and each year we respond; moving deftly with the lightest touch. As seasoned contenders, we know how to play the game. The resulting blend is captivating; light on its feet yet full of character and perfect with food. Are you Game?

This Shiraz is a complex blend due to various ripening conditions of different grape parcels picked. The juice was fermented using carefully selected cultures which promote fruit and spice characters. For 12 months, two thirds of this wine was matured in old French oak, the remainder was matured with new French oak to provide complexity and contribute lovely vanillin notes. A dash of Cabernet Sauvignon was added to the final blend to provide a black cherry perfume lift and further complexity on the palate.

Fowles Wine vineyards and winery are located in the dramatic granite landscape of Strathbogie Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. Fowles Wine crafts some of Australia’s finest cool climate wines, winning many of Australia’s most prestigious wine medals and trophies. The Fowles Wine team is energetic and enterprising, continuing to break new ground by proudly taking the Strathbogie Ranges ‘message in a bottle’ to the world with some of Australia’s most exciting wines.

Sharing latitudinal pedigree with Gisborne in New Zealand; Sonoma and Napa Valleys in the USA; Mendoza in Argentina; Sicily in Italy and Jerez in Spain, Victoria is the southern-most and coolest State of mainland Australia, famed for its diverse wine regions and cool climate. Home to Fowles Wine vineyards and winery, the Strathbogie Ranges is characterised by massive granite boulders – the very boulders that have given rise, over millions of years, to the sandy loam soils in which our vines grow. This is a harsh Australian landscape with soil that is nutrient poor and retains very little water – difficult for farmers to grow livestock, but a wonderful landscape for grape growers seeking to grow fruit with great intensity. Couple these attributes with the cool climate, gentle aspect and glorious summer sunshine and the Strathbogie Ranges is an ideal region for growing grapes and making wine. The mean January temperature is 19.15°C and the average annual rainfall in our family vineyards is 700 mm (28 inches).