Sally Calneggia, Amy Vitale, Severine Logan (Chicas)
Australia
Sally Calneggia, Amy Vitale, Severine Logan 's Wines
- Australia
- 3 wines
- 2 styles
Three successful women in wine bringing a taste of Europe down under.
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We could say the Chicas are full of energy, that their sense of joy is naturally infused into what they do. We could be flippant and use the line that “girls just want to have fun”, but that would take away from the huge list of awards and accomplishments these three women have on their resumes.
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We could say they’re ambitious and determined – two traits they all openly admit to owning and applying in various degrees and different ways to their label.
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But the Chicas women said it best themselves: “We are three strong and successful women in the wine industry bringing a taste of Europe to Australia.” Ready to let your tastebuds do some travelling and check them out for yourself?
Sally Calneggia, Amy Vitale, Severine Logan (Chicas)'s Story
Sally, Amy and Severine's Story
Australians are passionate about local wines – with good reason. But we also know you like to enjoy European wines too. The Chicas women have combined the best of both, so Angels don’t have to go elsewhere when and if they fancy a Euro style wine – and most importantly, they can still support an Aussie business and family.
That begins with the Calneggias - a Margaret River wine family with Italian heritage, who first landed down under after World War II. Passionate wine growers, the Calneggias have been producing quality grapes for beloved Naked winemaker Brian Fletcher, and marvelled at what he was crafting for Angels.
Before long, a different seed was planted… and an idea quickly began growing.
Looking to her left and right, Sally Calneggias realised she had two ready-made partners to start a wine label of their own. Two of her best friends and co-workers – Severine Logan and Amy Vitale.
Chicas had bloomed.
The three all tackle different parts of the business – with Severine taking the role as winemaker, Amy in marketing and Sally handling the business side.
The trio have a natural and easy chemistry, and all enjoy a passion for European style wines.
“We wanted to put an Australian spin on that style, while still being a good representation of Europe,” explains Severine. “The wines needed to be approachable and ready to enjoy right now.”
“These wines celebrate the best of both styles,” she adds. “Because the beauty of wine is you can travel, right from your home.
“You can sip a Spanish style Tempranillo and whisk away to Rioja. You can enjoy an Aussie take on it the next day. We adore the possibilities that come with that.”
Winemaker Severine is originally from the Loire Valley in France, is at the helm of crafting them all. The talented winemaker has been crafting quality wines for over 30 years, 26 of those being in Australia. In France, she studied science, chemistry and microbiology before realising the eventual jobs didn’t excite her at all.
Using her critical thinking to apply her skills to a role she would love, she decided winemaking included everything she was passionate about. “Science, senses, research, lab work,” she explains. “It’s all there.”
Since then, Severine has worked in Victoria, Swan Valley, the Hunter and now calls Margaret River home. With a huge number of wine trophies to her name, Severine says she simply thrives off the variety winemaking affords her.
“You never get bored,” she says. “You follow the seasons. Every vintage and every harvest is different. You bring what you’ve learned previously, but you start from scratch each time.”
Despite her Italian surname, Sally Calneggias was inspired by her love of Rioja, planting Tempranillo at the family’s vineyard in WA. (You may have even tasted it if you’ve enjoyed a legendary Brian Fletcher Tempranillo!) When it comes to making wine, she easily sets aside her own preferences to focus on Angels instead.
“It sounds obvious, but we have really thought about who will be enjoying this wine as we craft it," explains Sally. “We don’t make it for ourselves, we make it for others.”
Amy Vitale, the third ‘Chica’, agrees. Her current passion is the label’s Italian wines. Amy herself is connected to Italy by heritage and marriage – and was always determined the Chicas’ Italian drops would do her homeland proud.
“I like to say we make serious wines for not so serious people,” she laughs.
Three strong and successful women and sensational wines, showcasing the best Europe has to offer.
