Severine Logan is the new chief winemaker of Calneggia Family Vineyards (CFV), taking over from Brian Fletcher. She has a 24-year winemaking history with the past 12 years spent at Watershed Premium Wines as head winemaker.
Brian will remain with the CFV team working with Severine as well as expanding his Brian Fletcher Signature Wine range.
Severine was raised in the Loire Valley, France. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree of Oenology from Toulouse University, she spent five years working across multiple regions in France including Bordeaux, Alsace, Corsica and Burgundy.
In 1995 she packed her bags and travelled to Australia to work vintage at Brown Brothers in Victoria. A love for Australian wine was sparked and Severine soon made Australia home. After climbing the ranks, Severine became winemaker for both Houghton and Sandalford in Western Australia before spending six years as winemaker for Rosemount in the Hunter Valley.
Severine joined the Watershed team as head winemaker in 2007 and has since completed the AWAC course and been a scholar of the Len Evans Tutorial. She has judged on the French and Australian wine show circuits.
“We are very excited to welcome Severine into the CFV team and look forward to seeing her at work on her first vintage with us in 2020,” co-owner Mike Calneggia says.
“She will now play a very important part in growing the Calneggia Family Vineyards brands while building on her expertise as a winemaker.”
Brian has worked with CFV since 1988 in various roles and across different businesses.
“He has received numerous accolades for his wines and has curated a dynamic portfolio of products under the CFV umbrella,” Mike says.
“He has created wines which have been selected by Qantas on board both nationally and internationally and he is also known as the pioneer of Tempranillo in the Margaret River.
His most recent achievement was crafting the Cellarmasters 2019 Red Wine of The Year, the Rosabrook Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.
Brian has held a number of prestigious winemaking positions including production director for Casa Vinicola Calatrasi in Sicily and chief winemaker for Evans & Tate.
“Although he is a household name in Margaret River and a veteran winemaker for the region, he is somewhat of a quiet achiever and prefers to stay out of the limelight and in the vineyard with his beloved vines,” Mike says.
“The Calneggia family have a friendship and a working relationship that goes back over three decades with Brian and we will continue this over many years to come. We are immensely proud of what we have been able to achieve together and remain the best of friends.
“The passing of the baton to Severine will enable Brian to lessen his operational winemaking duties and spend more time evaluating and experimenting with new varieties, clones and winemaking methods which will assist in further development of Brian’s own wines and selected premium wines within the CFV portfolio. I extend my most gracious thanks to Brian for everything he has done for our family.”
CFV has owned vineyards and been involved in wine in Margaret River for more than 25 years.
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