Glaetzer Wines

The wines of Glaetzer Wines are among the most famous from the Barossa Valley. Colin and his son Ben have built the quality of the winery to the point where it now enjoys a reputation as a producer of premium wines.

Seven weeks to Australia - Glaetzer Wines

The Glaetzer family emigrated from Brandenburg aboard the ship Habsburg in 1888 to settle and grow grapes in the Barossa Valley. This makes them one of the first winemakers in this wine region of Australia. Today, under the leadership of Ben Glaetzer, Glaetzer Wines produces high-quality Barossa wines first vinified by his father Colin. Colin Glaetzer's creations include the E & E Black Pepper Shiraz and the Ebenezer line. Glaetzer Wines was also founded in its current form by him to have a commercial framework for making top wines.

His son Ben recently took the reins, bringing fresh ideas and modern approaches to the family business. His specialty is unexciting, unique wines with as little intervention in the process as possible. For his work, he has already been honored by greats like Robert Parker as "Personality of the Year" or, like his father, as "Baron of the Barossa".

Wines that the land makes

The focus of Glaetzer Wines is on a few grape varieties:

• Shiraz
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grenache

The belief at Glaetzer Wines is that a wine is made in the vineyard, that is, from a combination of terroir and knowledge of cultivation. The soils of the Barossa Valley have a "French" feel with sandy loam over a limestone massif where Shiraz, for example, thrives very well. The wine culture, in turn, is characterized by a high proportion of German immigrants at the end of the 19th century.

The "Ebenezer" district, in which the grapes for the wines of the same name grow, stands out here. Here it is warmer compared to the surrounding area, and the rainfall less. This results in elegant, soft and accessible wines, which are the trademark of the Glaetzers.

The philosophy

In keeping with their philosophy, the Glaetzers intervene very little in the aging of the wines. A very neutral yeast is used for the fermentation process, and the wines macerate a bit longer on the skins, as Ben's experience is that this gives the wines additional softness and tannin development. After pressing, the wine is transferred to American and French oak hogshead barrels where it ages for another 12 to 18 months.