Meet the Team

Our crew is the no-guts, no-glory type, as eclectic and determined as the sites we farm. All share a love of the land on which we farm and great cool-climate wine!

Melanie Chester

Melanie Chester joined Giant Steps as Head of Winemaking and Viticulture in 2021. Her previous experiences include working at Sutton Grange Winery in Central Victoria, where her influence on winemaking and viticulture led to multi trophy winning wines; as well as time in the Grampians for the historic Seppelt Great Western, working with fruit from all climates in Victoria – from the cool Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot region of Henty to the warmer continental climates of Heathcote.

Melanie completed her studies in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Adelaide, where she was the recipient of the Wolf Blass Prize for Excellence in Winemaking (2011) and the David Bradley Memorial Prize (2012), indicating the promise of an outstanding contribution to the wine industry.

Her wine industry experience spans diverse estates such as d’Arenberg in the McLaren Vale, Charles Melton in the Barossa, and Quinta do Crasto in Portugal’s Douro Valley.

In 2014, Melanie became the youngest ever scholar selected for The Len Evans Tutorial. In 2015, she was named Young Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine, and in 2018, Melanie was recognized by Young Gun of Wine as the People’s Choice award. Mel is a sought-after wine judge and currently is the Chair of Judges at the prestigious Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, the home of the Jimmy Watson trophy.

Melanie’s love affair with Giant Steps started long before she became Head of Winemaking and Viticulture, collecting the wines from our iconic vineyards for her personal cellar for many years. Her long-held admiration for the winery comes with an intrinsic pressure to honour the individual personalities and qualities of our sites. For Mel, this means keeping the winemaking tight and transparent, so the diversity of place is what you taste in the glass.

Now as the General Manager of Giant Steps, Mel brings an intense passion for wine and great Burgundy. Outside of work she is an avid cook and fan of the simple pleasure in life – a good margarita, a bowl of handmade pasta, home grown herbs, loud music, filter coffee, ocean swims, fishing and time with friends and family.

Michael Latham

Michael Latham joined the Giant Steps team in June 2021.
Growing up in the Hunter Valley, his winemaking career started
after an opportunity was presented to him whilst finishing his
final year of school.

This led to Cellar positions at Pepper Tree
Wines and Mount Pleasant before five years as Assistant
Winemaker at Tyrrell’s Wines. During this time at Tyrrell’s, he also completed vintages in the Willamette Valley, Oregon (2016). Burgundy, France (2018) and Cote Rotie, France (2019) as well as studying both a Bachelor of Business followed by a Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology.
His experiences across Australia, Europe and the USA have taught Michael that attention to detail and dedication is required to make truly great wines. This journey starts in the vineyard, understanding the site, and allowing the fruit to speak for itself. Outside of work you’ll usually find Michael, or Latho as he is known, watching sport, heading to a gig, at a wine bar or playing his guitar.