Charles Melton

Charlie Melton's Barossa Valley winery dates from 1984 when Melton ventured out on his own after working for a number of other producers, including Saltram and Peter Lehmann. He was one of the leaders in the recent wave of energetic producers rekindling the public's interest in hand-crafted Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre, (Mataro). His small but select range includes the quixotically named Nine Popes, a classic Southern Rhône blend, as well as an outstanding Shiraz produced from old, dry-farmed bush vines. As a matter of policy, he doesn't make white wine - the nearest he comes to one is a smooth, Grenache-based rosé, named Rose of Virginia after his wife.

Charlie Melton has 70 acres of owned or controlled prime Barossa dry-farmed vineyard and a select band of 20 grape growers who tend their treasured old blocks of gnarled veterans. He employs a number of winemaking techniques in the cellar, including whole bunch fermentation, open fermentation, pigeage and indigenous yeast fermentation. An exemplary source of distinctive, high quality Barossa reds.