Mel Master

Founder
Master Wines
https://masterwines.com/

Mel started his wine business in France in the early 1970’s where, together with his wife Janie, started Masterwines, exporting artisanal French wines, including Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais, to the USA. He also coauthored the first book on the Wines of the Cotes du Rhone.  In 1979 he and his family moved to the USA where he formed a partnership with Winesellers, a national wine importer based in Chicago, and helped launch and run the Jordan winery in Sonoma County. He moved the family east and opened a successful restaurant, Jams (Jonathan & Melvyn’s) in NYC with renowed Californian chef, Jonathan WaxmanIn 1990, he created the first line of varietal wines from France called Les Jamelles (Janie and Mel) from the Languedoc, which grew into a 75,000 case brandIn early 1995, Mel, Janie and their son Charles also opened Mel’s Bar & Grill in Denver which was named by Esquire Magazine as one of the top 25 new restaurants in the USIn late 1990, Mel, Janie and their son Charlie created Tortoise Creek, sustainably farmed wines from California, which are amongst today’s most popular “value wines” and have received many accoladesIn partnership with Winesellers, they also developed the organic line of Italian wines called Tiamo as well as the value driven wine brand Mont Gravet from the South of France, and a French artisanal wine brand Le Charmel (Charlie and Mel!)  Charlie and Mel were awarded the coveted Silver Spoon award from Food Arts Magazine for services to the wine and food industry in 2006Today they reside in Rye, New Hampshire with his wife Janie.