Young Aussie Winemaker on the Rise

Shelley Boettcher , Wine Access - Editorial Note
 Dec 2005

This past month, I asked Huon Hooke, the writer behind our cover feature on Australian wine trends, about up-and-coming Aussie winemakers.  Who was the next Wolf Blass?  The next Peter Lehman?

One name - Ben Glaetzer - immediately popped to mind for Hooke, a renowned judge, author and wine writer.

The director and chief winemaker at Heartland Wines in South Australia, Glaetzer is only 28 years old, but he's making waves at home and around the world.

Luckily for us, Glaetzer toured across Canada this fall.  Not only did we have a chance to snap his pic, we chatted with him about life in the southern hemisphere.

"I spend much of my time around the world firstly explaining where Australia is, and then explaining that I don't actually ride a kangaroo to work," he says.

As far as wine goes, however, he's focused on teaching people about the terroir differences within his country's winemaking regions; the Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, etc.

"I see this as a generational project and something that I will have a major part for the next 80-plus years", he explains.

"My aspiration is to allow anyone who buys one of my wines, irrespective of it as price point, to see a snap shot of my vineyards, vintage and history."

A graduate of the prestigious Roseworthy Wine College, Glaetzer worked at Barossa Valley Estate Winery and Tyrrell's.  From a family of seven winemakers, he now works with his father, Colin; they're making waves with the Amon-ra Shiraz…