PACHAMAMA

Victoria

pachamamawines.com.au

Pachamama began, fittingly, with the earth.

In 2011, Callie Jemmeson was travelling through Peru with her father when, at Machu Picchu, a guide spoke to them about Pachamama, the Andean Earth Mother, and the custom of returning a little wine to the ground in gratitude for the harvest. It was a small ritual, but a resonant one. The name stayed with them. So did the idea.

Back in Australia, father and daughter began a modest wine project drawing fruit from across Victoria: the Yarra Valley, Heathcote, King Valley and beyond. What began on a small scale gathered momentum.

Wine was hardly foreign territory. Jemmeson comes from a family with close to five decades in the industry, though her own route into it was agreeably indirect. She studied criminology and psychology at the University of Melbourne, then trained as a chef at William Angliss. The kitchen, however, proved less compelling than the table. She realised she preferred the convivial end of hospitality: food arriving, bottles opened, conversation gathering pace.

Formal wine science study at Charles Sturt University followed, along with vintages in California, Italy and France and earning her stipes at De Bortoli in the Yarra Valley. She later helped grow Pachamama while running production from the Strathbogie Ranges, eventually taking the label to commercial level without losing its small-batch instincts.

The wines themselves reflect Jemmeson’s preference for restraint over theatre. She talks about making wines that are “delicious and honest without the ego and pretence”, and that is a useful way into Pachamama.

In the glass, that translates restraint rather than excess, shape rather than weight, and enough winemaking polish to give the wines coherence without obscuring their origins. They are serious (and seriously good) wines, but not solemn ones. Pleasure remains part of the point.

In 2024, Pachamama and sibling label Cloak & Dagger were acquired by Joval Family Wines. The change brought a winery home near Healesville, greater resources and access to estate vineyards, particularly in the Yarra Valley. Jemmeson, however, remains winemaker and a central creative voice.

That continuity matters. Pachamama has grown up, but its original proposition remains intact: thoughtful Victorian wine, made with a light hand, a curious mind and a proper respect for the ground beneath it.

The Pinot Gris comes from two vineyards, mostly Dal Zotto’s King Valley sites, where elevation, free-draining soils and cool nights help keep the fruit fresh and the acidity lively.

The Chardonnay is drawn from three Yarra Valley vineyards and nine separate parcels. Mostly Dijon clones 96 and P58, with a little I10V1, the blend is built around brightness, texture and a clear sense of place.

The Pinot Noir comes from four Yarra Valley vineyards and twelve parcels, ranging from cooler, higher sites around Yarra Glen to warmer mid-valley vineyards near Healesville. MV6 does most of the work, with 115, D2V6 and 667 in support. Picking a touch riper brings more flesh and depth, without losing the shape and balance of the region.

The Shiraz comes from Heathcote’s greenstone country, with the emphasis firmly on ripe, expressive fruit. The tannins are soft and supple, giving the wine plenty of energy and making it very easy to drink.