Pachamama Wines was started by Callie Jemmeson’s father over a decade ago, but she has taken what was a retirement project and turned it into a brand that works across ten varieties sourced from growers across Victoria. Her mission is to make wines that are “delicious and honest without the ego and pretence.” In 2024, Pachamama and its sibling label Cloak and Dagger were acquired by Joval Family Wines – a major milestone that has brought expanded resources, a winery home in Healesville and access to estate vineyards in the Yarra Valley, while leaving creative and technical direction firmly in Jemmeson’s hands. She continues to lead both the brand and the winemaking, working part-time to accommodate young children – a flexibility she has fought hard to create, for herself and for others.
“We have worked hard to cultivate quality, long standing relationships with growers who love and care for their land and know it intimately. We are passionate about working with like-minded people that share our values and desire to create something special to share with the world.
Jemmeson’s path to wine was characteristically circuitous. After a Bachelor of Arts in criminology and psychology at the University of Melbourne, she trained as a chef at William Angliss Institute before realising the kitchen wasn’t quite right. “My dad had a catchphrase: ‘Do what you love, and love what you do.’ I love food and wine and sharing that love with others,” she says. “I loved the adrenaline rush of service, I loved the creativity, the science and the sensory aspect, so I tried my hand at winemaking, and I’ve never looked back.” Her winemaking career began in the lab at De Bortoli’s Yarra Valley operation, where she impressed enough to be asked to stay on as lab manager. A vintage at Ted Lemon’s Littorai in California followed, alongside time in Emilia Romagna and the Rhône Valley, travel across US and European wine regions, and formal study at Charles Sturt University. She then left De Bortoli to work with her father on the family label, eventually leasing the Elgo Winery in the Strathbogie Ranges, managing a production facility for multiple contract clients while growing Pachamama to around 15,000 cases.
The Pacha Mama name came from a trip father and daughter took to Peru. A guide at Machu Picchu told them about Pachamama – Earth Mother, whose kingdom is the earth and plants – and of a libation, a tribute of wine poured on the earth in thanks for its bounty. The spirit of that story runs through everything Jemmeson makes. “The intention was to create delicious wines that give fantastic bang for buck,” she says. “Wines that are not pretentious and anyone can enjoy. Wines that reflect the variations in seasons and are made thoughtfully without too much manipulation.”
“Each year we run small experimental batches with new products and different winemaking techniques, which helps us learn more about our fruit and home in on the style of wines we are aiming to create. These experiments are not always successful – some miss spectacularly – but it’s in these failures that the greatest lessons are learnt.”
The Joval acquisition in 2024 has shifted the operational context considerably without changing the philosophy. “In a major milestone, Pachamama and Cloak and Dagger were acquired by Joval Family Wines,” says Jemmeson. “I’ve transitioned with the brands into a winemaker and brand ambassador role, working with a larger team and expanded resources to continue building the wines and their reach.” Through Joval, she now has access to estate vineyards owned, leased and managed within the group – the Yarra Valley sites in particular a source of growing excitement. “This is only the second year working with them for me,” she says. “I’m exploring nuances in the fruit, refining style, and seeing where these vineyards take us.” A subtle packaging refinement has also been made, keeping the DNA of both brands intact while adding warmth and detail. “It’s been a period of real transition and growth, both for the brands and for me.”
“My dad had a catchphrase: ‘Do what you love, and love what you do.’ I love food and wine and sharing that love with others. …I first tried my hand at cooking. I went to culinary school and worked in kitchens around Melbourne before realising that it wasn’t for me. I loved the adrenaline rush of service, I loved the creativity, the science and the sensory aspect, so I tried my hand at winemaking, and I’ve never looked back.”
The flexibility Jemmeson has built into the operation was never incidental – it was the point. When she saw how difficult the industry made it for women with children to stay in winemaking, she set up her own structure deliberately differently. “I couldn’t see how I could raise a family working as a winemaker,” she says. “The vintage expectations are enormous and aren’t particularly conducive to raising children. I started my own business so that I could set it up differently – to provide flexibility to working mums including myself, so that I could do both: raise my beautiful son and continue doing what I love.” That commitment to the broader industry has deepened: in 2025, Jemmeson graduated from Wine Australia’s Future Leaders program and joined the DEIW Committee, contributing to conversations around diversity and inclusion in the industry.
In the winery, Jemmeson has no absolute rules – only an ongoing curiosity and a willingness to fail productively. “Each year we run small experimental batches with new products and different winemaking techniques, which helps us learn more about our fruit and home in on the style of wines we are aiming to create,” she says. “These experiments are not always successful – some miss spectacularly – but it’s in these failures that the greatest lessons are learnt.” The range currently spans pinot noir, shiraz, chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling, sangiovese, nebbiolo, prosecco and fiano across the Pachamama and Cloak and Dagger labels, with gamay and more fiano on the horizon. The regions she works with – Yarra Valley, Heathcote, King Valley and beyond – were chosen for the fit between variety and place. “I have always been a strong believer in the power of the right grape grown in the right place.”
The vision from here is refinement and steady expansion. “I want to keep making serious wines that still feel fun – overdelivering on quality while staying accessible and offering great value,” she says. “That balance is where I see us thriving.” After a decade of building something from a retirement project into a genuine wine brand, and now into the hands of a larger family – her own, and Joval’s – Callie Jemmeson is precisely where she always planned to be.
GET FIRST ACCESS TO THE NEXT WINE ICONS – DELIVERED
Find out moreEach month, get 3 bottles of our freshest discoveries. We taste thousands to bring you the best.
Join us and support emerging winemakers, sustainable vineyards, and the development of young professionals.
The Next Wine Icons – Delivered
Each month, get 3 bottles of fresh discoveries.
We taste thousands to bring you the best.
Please sign in or create account as candidate to bookmark this job
Please sign in or create account to save this search
Please sign in or create account as candidate to create a resume
