By Saralyn Mehta, Sommelier( ISG), CSW

Who could have guessed that a broken down old car would be the catalyst for some of the best wines from the Barossa? In 1974, a young man from Sydney went on a cross-country adventure with a friend. When the old EH Holden they were driving broke down, the boys went in search of jobs to raise money to fix it. There were two jobs available: one a cellar hand at a local winery called Krondorf, the other as a pruner at a vineyard down the road. Thanks to the toss of a coin, the young man named Graeme landed the cellar hand job. At Krondorf, Graeme worked under the now-famous Peter Lehmann. Peter, however, did not think Graeme looked like a“ Graeme” and decided to call him Charlie. It was thus that Charlie Melton was introduced to the world and, over the next 10 years, honed his skills as a winemaker under Peter Lehmann’ s tutelage.

In 1984, Charlie bought the first grapes he would use under the new“ Charles Melton” label. He took a leap and purchased 13 acres of Grenache and Shiraz, on which he built his cellar door(“ the Barn” featured on the cover of this issue!) and winery. Charlie was a man of vision, to be sure. When he first set out on his own, the Australian government was paying growers to uproot their Shiraz and Grenache vines in favour of planting more fashionable varietals like Cabernet or Merlot. Charlie stuck to his guns and began to experiment with improving the quality of his“ unfashionable” grapes. The risk paid off and Charlie produced his first vintage of Nine Popes, an homage to

the wines of Châteauneuf du Pape. It is an homage with an amusing twist. Thankfully Charlie proved a better winemaker than a translator as“ Nine Popes” falls a little wide of the literal translation of Châteauneuf du Pape,“ New Castle of the Pope.” However, what you find in the bottle honours the finest of wines.

When you are not in the mood for a big, bold Barossa red, there is no better option than Charlie’ s stunning Rose of Virginia Rosé, named for his wife. With strawberry and maraschino cherry flavours blended with sweet spice and a refreshing finish, this is the perfect summer wine. Renowned Australian reviewer James Haliday has touted Charlie’ s Rosé as the best in all of Australia.

As if Charles Melton had not yet accomplished enough, he collaborated with his father-in-law, Syd Weckert, to create a terrific, everyday drinking red, aptly named The Father-in-Law. When Syd retired, Melton advised him against the temptation to take up grape-growing, suggesting he instead“ just play lawn bowls.” Syd’ s stubbornness prevailed— and thank goodness for that! Charlie and Syd combined their grapes to create a Shiraz with a nose full of mocha and dark berry and a palate of lush, dark fruit, soft tannins, and a hint of chocolate.

The wines of Charles Melton consistently deliver on the promises of the Barossa Valley’ s famed soil. Make some room in your cellar because you won’ t be able to stop at just one. b www. banvilleandjones. com 19