West Melton’s Philip Caunter on what's so special about Waikirikiri Selwyn
07 September 2026
07 September 2026
Melton Estate is a boutique vineyard, restaurant and events venue on the plains at West Melton, twenty minutes from Christchurch—best known for its signature sparkling wine, Summer Love. The owner, Philip Caunter, has spent 24 years building the estate into the place Canterbury goes to mark the moments that matter: the weddings, the milestone birthdays, the long lunches done properly. Here's Philip in his own words.
People ask if Summer Love was a flash of inspiration. I visited the Yarra Valley and visited a small winery, and they had a pink moscato—a grape we can't grow in New Zealand. I came back to my winemaker and said, “we've got to make this.” He said, “Well, you can't grow those grapes here, but we could make it with Riesling and Pinot Noir.” That's Summer Love.
That was 2008 and we've been doing it ever since. There's more tech in it than people think—and yes, we're on the edge of winemaking, but that's where you find your own space. If we just sold Chardonnay, Pinot, Riesling, we'd be the same as every other little place.
People remember Summer Love. I meet people and they say “I’ve had your wine!” They remember when they had it and who they were with, usually at a party or a celebration.
I find that so intriguing. We're not really in the wine business. We're in the celebration business.
We put Summer Love into kegs, too. At the Canterbury Wine & Food Festival, we're one of the biggest-selling wines there. We pour and chat, and people get into the vibe of the day. And Summer Love in cans is next. It's all about building the story. It’s part of your celebration.
That’s our little sweet spot at West Melton too—we're a celebration space. Especially if it's a birthday with a zero—you don't want to take your mum to a pub. You want to take her somewhere special. We had my mum's 90th birthday here two weeks ago. My 60th is here in October. This weekend there's an 80th, next weekend there's a 90th. Forty or fifty people each time, white tablecloths, the works. People leave here knowing they've made someone and themselves feel special.
We've been at West Melton 24 years now—25 on the property next year. So we've seen a bit.
The 2010 September earthquake was the Saturday before Father's Day—one of our busiest restaurant days—and the day after was absolutely glorious weather, but we couldn't open. There was no power.
So we had a huge barbecue at home instead, three or four families, we played touch, and I thought: hey, we're all so lucky to be here. Then, with so many Christchurch venues gone, we were inundated with weddings and events, for years afterwards.
During COVID I replanted the vineyard. I set myself an outdoor work plan and worked eight to five every day—from a mental health point of view, I think that was very positive. Part of what went in was a new Chardonnay clone used for méthode traditionnelle—we were one of the first in the country to get it. For our family to enjoy our own champagne for Christmas Day lunch was pretty special.
Most of my team are local. I hire on attitude. You can teach skills, but you can’t teach attitude. Many of our team are students. We've got one doing nursing, another doing teaching. They've been here since they were 16 or 17 and they'll finish when they're 21, 22.
The rule we have here is: always find a way to say yes to the customer.
As you get older, you recognise that other people are better at jobs that you're only okay at. My role will change as the business develops and I am happy with that.
I've been lucky to be able to travel for work and with family but I love being here.. What West Melton gives me is a strong sense of community. If you need something, you just put a message out to your group. Hey, I need a lift. Hey, I need a bigger ladder. And it turns up.
I find I need less people in my life these days, because the ones around me give me everything I need. But there’s always something to learn from meeting new people. Lots of people are moving out here—some for business, some because the grandkids are here, some for a better life.
People are genuinely excited about coming to Selwyn. And why wouldn't they be? Your kids can go to a world-class university. You can be in tech, in manufacturing. You can ski, you can swim, you can horse ride, you can run up hills. You can't do that anywhere else in the world the way you can here. There’s a sense of place, and you're living on the land, but you're also right next to an international city—you can get to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Singapore, soon San Francisco, and soon Japan, straight out of Christchurch.
We're just so lucky here, I think. I've been here 24 years. Looking forward to many more.
