Heartland Wines

Heartland Wines, that is a joint venture of seven young people who joined forces in 2001 to put their passion for good wines into practice in a joint venture. The importance they attached to the "Heartland" project is already expressed in the name of their newly founded winery.

Heartland - more than Ben Glaetzer

The head winemaker at the helm of the dedicated Heartland team is none other than Ben Glaetzer, descendant of the famous Glaetzer winery family. The "wine-o-holic," brimming with self-confidence and determination, has succeeded not only in convincing the national trade press, but also in attracting the attention of critics' legend Robert Parker.

Parker describes Glaetzer's wines

"Ben Glaetzer admirably combines the tremendous fruit and power of old vines with a surprising degree of elegance and complexity."

Langhorne Creek is Australia's oldest moderately climatized region and much cooler than neighboring McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley. This is so for a simple reason: Langhorne Creek is located in an ancient floodplain on the north shore of Lake Alexandrina. As such, the growing area for Heartland wines is fairly flat and, unlike the regions on the other side of the Mount Lofty range, exposed to the prevailing winds.

Wind - key to the success of Heartland wines

The wind comes from the ocean to the south in the early evening. The stiff breeze cools the entire viticultural region by about 10°C within an hour, which in turn provides cool nights and ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Because the wind has such a strong influence on local viticulture and is an important factor among the conditions for excellent grapes, it is also enthusiastically referred to as the "Lake Doctor".

The grape varieties

Grape varieties grown at Heartland Wines include: 

• Shiraz
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Dolcetto