Bushfire recovery & rebuilding with Matt Fowles of Fowles Wine

<p>Matt Fowles of Fowles Wine in Victoria's Strathbogie Ranges describes surviving a catastrophic bushfire that burned through his 1400 acre property in under 45 minutes on January 8th 2026, destroying his family home, 1200 (of 1260) sheep, and severely damaging both vineyards &ndash; while the winery and cellar door survived. In the aftermath, he prioritised family stability and practical problem-solving before turning to longer term decisions about replanting and farm redesign. The experience has reshaped his thinking on fire resilience, variety selection, regional diversification, and the value of community and industry support networks.</p> <p>The Halliday Wine Companion Podcast is hosted by Halliday editor Anna Webster.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.fowleswine.com/">Fowles Wine</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://instagram.com/fowles_wine">Fowles Wine on Instagram</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://winecompanion.com.au/">Halliday Wine Companion</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/winecompanion/">Halliday&nbsp;Wine Companion on Instagram</a></strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/annawebster_"><strong>Anna Webster on Instagram</strong></a></p> <p><strong><a href="https://shop.winecompanion.com.au/products/2026-halliday-wine-companion">Buy the <em>2026 Halliday Wine Companion</em></a></strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>We cover:</strong></p> <ul> <li aria-level="1"><strong>Fire moves faster than preparation allows:</strong> Fire hoses running for 20 hours still couldn't stop the fire &ndash; it leapt over everything. Scale and pace overwhelm even well-prepared defences.</li> <li aria-level="1"><strong>Grafted vines fare significantly worse than own-rooted vines in fire:</strong> The graft union is a structural weak point that fire exploits. In a phylloxera zone, like the Strathbogie Ranges, this creates an almost impossible recovery scenario.</li> <li aria-level="1"><strong>Replanting is a 30-year decision &ndash; don't rush it:</strong> Matt is choosing to delay replanting by a year to decompress and think clearly. Chosen varieties (shiraz, riesling, sangiovese, chardonnay, gamay) reflect both regional suitability and market direction toward lighter, more aromatic styles.</li> <li aria-level="1"><strong>Fire resilience needs to be engineered into vineyard design:</strong> He's rethinking headlands, physical rock barriers, succulent plantings, green mid-row cover crops, shade canopy, and irrigation &ndash; reasoning that sacrificing 5&ndash;10% of productive land to avoid a five-year replanting event is a sound trade-off.</li> <li aria-level="1"><strong>Regional diversification is underutilised risk management:</strong> Sourcing fruit from multiple regions protects against localised catastrophic events (fire, frost, flood). The assumption that a wine must come from one place is a business vulnerability, not just a creative choice.</li> <li aria-level="1"><strong>The initial surge of community support fades &ndash; the harder period comes later:</strong> Once the visible activity stops and casseroles stop arriving, the psychological weight sets in. Sustained, long-term support matters more than the immediate response.</li> <li aria-level="1"><strong>Bulk wine stock integrity requires proactive verification, not assumption:</strong> Even though the winery was physically saved, Matt ran external tastings to confirm the bulk wine was undamaged before putting it to market &ndash; protecting both customers and the brand's credibility under pressure.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Core lessons:</strong></p> <ol> <li><strong> Treat long-tail risk as a design constraint, not an afterthought.</strong> Matt's key insight is that conventional viticulture optimises for yield efficiency and ignores the time cost of catastrophic events. If a fire sets you back five years, the "inefficiency" of dedicating 5&ndash;10% of your land to fire mitigation infrastructure pays