Charlie Melton started his path to winemaking after attending Hurlstone Agricultural High School.  This illustrious centre of learning in NSW was later to produce graduates such as the briefly Opposition Leader Mark Latham.  Charlie was grateful to have been a student during the glory years….

Although winemaking had not entered his head consciously at this stage, the fact that of all the agricultural pursuits he had been exposed to, winemaking was one of the few that did not require cleaning up with a shovel afterwards made it quite attractive.

At the end of his education he embarked on the obligatory young man's ute tour of Australia and, after many formative work experiences such as picking Walthram Cross by the bucket in Robinvale, he found himself in the Barossa Valley.

The delightfully tropical weather of the 1974 vintage gave him an early insight into downy mildew, amongst other things, and led to a permanent position as a cellar hand at Krondorf Wines.  Actually two positions were on offer, one in the cellar and one in the vineyard.  Charlie and his travelling companion Kenny Roach (who is still gainfully employed in the vineyard of Grant Burge) knew of course such a far-reaching decision required a considered and irrefutable process to arrive at the answer needed.

A toss of the coin took place!!

And so began Charlie's apprenticeship proper into the world of wine.

His very first vintage was with Andrew Wigan and Charlie proceeded over the next decade or so to take his tutelage from both Andrew and Peter Lehmann after becoming a cellar hand at Saltram Wines in 1976.

He was part of the band of Saltram staff that moved with Peter to help establish the fledgling Peter Lehmann Wines which quickly led to more winemaking responsibilities.

In 1986, Charlie resigned from Peter Lehmann Wines and, along with his wife Virginia, commenced the construction of the Charles Melton winery on land he had purchased on Krondorf Road.

The following 21 years have been enjoyable, exciting, and salutary all at the same time, and have included chairmanship of the Barossa Winemakers Association and a nomination as a finalist in Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine's "Australian Winemaker of the Year".

Consistently acknowledged as a leader in the resurgence of the Barossa as the pre-eminent wine region of Australia, Charlie considers the Barossa - both the wines and the community a unique and special place.