Talking vintage 2020 with Municipal's Matt Froude

It was great to take a break from the weekend’s crazy Melbourne weather and to welcome Matt Froude and our guests for a Saturday evening virtual experience in The Wine Loop - talking and tasting Matt's Municipal Wines from the Strathbogie Ranges.

Continuing the series of check-ins with previous and upcoming winemakers in The Wine Loop, we caught up on how vintage 2020 has been in this challenging world - and how it looked for his wines which include Riesling, Tempranillo, Cabernets and Shiraz. With thanks to Matt for the behind-the-scenes pic!

Q. How did vintage 2020 shape up for you? In particular, with the weather and fire conditions across Victoria as well as the current coronavirus situation– how has this impacted you?

A. The Strathbogie Ranges was very lucky not to be impacted by fires and smoke taint, however it was necessary to do laboratory testing and trial ferments (see picture) to confirm that smoke taint wasn't an issue. It was however very hot and dry so yields were down significantly.

Unfortunately the Tempranillo yield for example was down over 90% compared to a typical year which has certainly affected the amount of wine available to sell. Luckily what is in barrels does however look great. COVID 19 hasn't affected winemaking or vineyard operations as these are essential services, however sales, especially for small producers not represented in the large chains such as myself, are down significantly with Municipal sales down around 90%.

Q. In a time where we are staying home more often than not, what would be a good gem of yours to try on a cold winter's evening from your online store?

It depends on the food you eating, however if pushed to choose just one I'd go for the 2017 Whitegate Shiraz. Its more spicy than fruity, which works well on a cold evening.

Q. 2020 is definitely already turning out to be a hard one to predict. But what new releases and plans does this year have in store for Municipal Wines?

I have just released (in the last two months) three wines the 2016 Whitegate Tempranillo, the 2017 Whitegate Shiraz and the 2016 No Intervention Cabernet Franc all of which have already received great reviews which you can find on the website at municipalwines.com.au. Given the current situation I doubt it will happen this year but I would hope that early next year I can open the long planned Municipal urban winery and cellar door.

More vintage updates and 2020 news coming soon!