Colin Campbell is the fourth generation winemaker at Campbells Winery, Rutherglen. Born in 1945, he was educated at Rutherglen and then as a boarder at Scotch College in Melbourne. He then went to further studies gaining his Dookie Diploma of Agriculture in 1964 and his Diploma of Oenology at Roseworthy in South Australia in 1967.
Colin brought new skills to the old established family winery and oversaw the rapid expansion of the fermentation cellar to pioneer a new age for white wines in the Rutherglen district.
Unwavering in his commitment to quality and to enhancing the distinctive character of the Rutherglen Wine Region, Colin’s skill is in balance, providing wines with complexity to be enjoyed in their youth and improve with age – a hallmark of Campbells wines.
The ultimate accolade was the perfect score of 100/100 for Campbells Rare Rutherglen Muscat, the Merchant Prince. The first wine in Australia’s history to be awarded the perfect score by wine columnist Harvey Steinman of the world’s most authoritative and highly respected New York based Wine Spectator magazine.
Colin’s lifelong passion is to see Rutherglen Muscat recognized as the unique wine of Australia and the “World’s Richest Wine”. He led the formation of the "Muscat of Rutherglen Network", a group of the Rutherglen Muscat producers which has developed a classification system for these wines to ensure quality and reliability. Colin is chairman of the Network.
He also formed the Durif of Rutherglen Network which is gaining recognition for the uniqueness of the Durif variety to Rutherglen.
Colin is chairman of the Fortified Sustainability Project involving the most comprehensive research ever to be undertaken on the Australian Fortified wine industry. The project is responsible for developing new names for Sherry and Tokay and a relaunch strategy for Australian fortified wines.
Currently a board member of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, Colin is working closely with winegrowers and government for the benefit of the wine industry.
Colin and his brother Malcolm were honoured with a Victorian Wine Industry Association Distinguished Services Award for services to viticulture and the wine industry.
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