Ben Glaetzer - Young Winemaker of the Year 2004

QANTAS MEDAL WINNER 2004

Young Winemaker of the Year

Congratulations to Ben Glaetzer, Glaetzer Wines

It was one of those cases where the winner was staring the judges directly in the eyes: it just took some time for them to realise it. Ben Glaetzer and his father, Colin, had been nominated for Winemaker of the Year for their work on the family's Barossa Valley label – one of the great success stories of that region in recent times – and the younger Glaetzer had made a big impression on the judges. In discussing the relative merits of the candidates, the realisation slowly dawned that Ben Glaetzer was still only 26 and would make an admirable choice for the Qantas Medal.

This is the fourth time that Qantas has offered the Qantas Medal in conjunction with the Australian Winemaker of the Year Award, its purpose to encourage the pursuit of excellence among young winemakers who are becoming established in the industry. Ben Glaetzer's energy is that of a remarkable young man going places in a hurry. He is mindful of the core business - the 10,000-tonne Barossa contract winemaking service that, in 2004, has so far made 960 wines from 26 varieties for 53 customers, including winery investors Henschke, Rockford, Geoff Hardy and Woodstock. He plays a supporting role to his father with their traditional Barossa shiraz and takes the lead in fashioning the super-premium Amon-Ra – a deep, lush red with seductive texture, monumental proportions and underlying approachability.......Lest it be thought that Glaetzer's feet were not firmly planted on the ground, he has established (with Geoff Hardy and Scott Collett) Heartland – a higher volume, lower priced label that also includes an experimental viognier/pinot gris blend and a dolcetto/lagrein red in barrel waiting to be blended (they really do taste better together).

There's little doubt that we'll be hearing more of our 2004 Qantas Medal winner, Ben Glaetzer.