i. Biography
Melanie Chester has been General Manager and Head Winemaker at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley, Australia, since 2021, a role that places vineyard reading and cellar work in the same frame. Trained at the University of Adelaide, she has built a career around clarity rather than ornament, and around the idea that wine should register its place without extra noise. As she puts it: "A big part of my philosophy is that the wines talk of the place and not about things that I do to them."
The Climb
The discipline in Chester’s work traces back to the University of Adelaide, where she trained as a winemaker and established the basis for a career built on precision, restraint and attention to site. Her movement through the trade has been deliberate: winemaker at Seppelt until 2015, then winemaker at Sutton Grange Winery from 2015–2021, before taking up her current position as winemaker at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley, Australia, in 2021. Across those steps, the same priorities hold: fruit handled with care, site given room, and timing used as a tool rather than a display.
Today
At Giant Steps, Chester holds the title General Manager and Head Winemaker, a dual remit that links cellar detail with broader direction. The language she uses for the wines is plainspoken and specific. "Fairbank is our nice, bright, spicy, medium-bodied, juicy, slurpy-durpy range, which we get into bottle early," she says, a description that keeps the wine’s shape and release style front and centre. Of the other expression she oversees, she is equally direct: "The Estate [range] is all about poise, texture and terroir." That kind of register suits the work: measured, useful and grounded in the wines themselves.
Signature
Melanie's signature wines include 2016 Sutton Grange ‘Estate’ Syrah and 2017 Fairbank ‘Field Blend’. Read together, they show the range of her winemaking across structure and brightness, with one wine leaning into depth and the other into agility. They also sit neatly with the through-line in her work: balance, site and drinkability treated as core concerns rather than finishing touches.
In Their Words “In some ways I’m super proud of our achievements. But the Aussie culture is just like, cool, head down, bum up. It’s not rocket science. It's not luck. It's just the right ingredients, and things working and coming into fruition.” “Fairbank is our nice, bright, spicy, medium-bodied, juicy, slurpy-durpy range, which we get into bottle early.” These lines are useful because they stay close to the work. Chester’s tone is candid and unadorned, with pride kept in check by a practical view of winemaking. The emphasis is not on drama, but on material, choices and the conditions that allow a wine to settle into form.
Recognition
Melanie's honors include People’s Choice (2018), Young Gun of Wine Top 50, Gourmet Traveller WINE Young Winemaker of the Year, and Len Evans scholar. Taken together, they mark a career that has earned respect through consistent work, clear judgment and a firm grasp of both vineyard and cellar.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Melanie
What is Melanie Chester's current role?
As of 2026, Melanie Chester is General Manager and Head Winemaker.
Where did Melanie Chester train or study?
Melanie Chester trained at University of Adelaide.
What recognition has Melanie Chester received?
People’s Choice (2018).
