Charles Melton Wines
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34°33′38″S 138°58′06″E / 34.560612°S 138.968275°E
Virginia Weckert
| Charles Melton Wines | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Tanunda, South Australia, Australia |
| Appellation | Barossa Valley (wine) |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Key people | Charles Melton Virginia Weckert |
| Cases/yr | 15,000 |
| Known for | Nine Popes |
| Varietals | Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Website | http://www.charlesmeltonwines.com.au |
Charles Melton Wines is an Australian winery based in Tanunda, within the Barossa Valley wine region of South Australia.
Charles Melton was first introduced to winemaking as a career at Hurlstone Agricultural High School.[1] He worked as a cellar hand at Krondorf Wines between 1974 and 1976 before moving to Saltram Wines to work with Andrew Wigan and Peter Lehmann.[1] In 1979, Saltram was sold to Seagram, and Melton followed Lehmann to work at the newly established Peter Lehmann Wines.[1]
Melton worked at Peter Lehmann Wines until 1986 when he and his wife Virginia established their own, Charles Melton Wines.[1] Charles Melton had been credited as of 1999 as "single-handedly reviving the grenache grape in Australia".[2] On 20 October 2007, Melton was inducted into the "Barons of the Barossa", an organisation that recognises people who have made a significant contribution to the Barossa Valley wine community.[1] In 2009, Charles Melton Wines had a new winery and barrel shed built. In 2017, its 2014 Nine Popes wine won awards at the International Wine Challenge London.[3]
Sophie Melton became winemaker in 2022.[3][4] In November 2025, 95% of the company's fruit was grown on its estate. Its three key varieties were Grenache, Shiraz, and Cabernet.[5]
Wines
About 15,000 cases of wine are produced each vintage.[6]
The best-known wine produced by Charles Melton is the Nine Popes. It is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre.[7] The first vintage of this wine was produced in 1988[8] and was the first GSM blend made in the Barossa Valley.[9] Langton's Classification of Australian Wine placed this wine at the level of "Excellent" in 2000 and "Distinguished" in 2005 and 2010.[10]
A rosé style wine made from Grenache, named Rose of Virginia after his wife,[8] "is regarded as one of Australia's best roses".[11][12]
