Winemaker of the year Nominees

IT’S HARD TO DENY - winemaking is in the Glaetzer blood. Winemaker Colin Glaetzer and his wife, Judith, have three sons, all of whom have followed in their father’s footsteps, with two of the boys having also married winemakers. Add to this Colin’s twin brother, John, and there’s a tally of seven Glaetzer winemakers in the family. It is, however, the partnership between Colin and his second son, Ben, and the complementary philosophical differences they bring to it, which ultimately makes their work so worthy of attention.

From 1969-71, after his graduation from Roseworthy, Colin spent time working for Murray Tyrrell in the Hunter Valley, then spent two years at Renmano Wines, followed by two years working in the wine industry in the UK and France before moving on to B Seppelt & Sons in Rutherglen and later Seppelt Great Western. In 1985, the Barossa Valley Estate (BVE) was established. A cooperative owned by 165 growers, it appointed Glaetzer as winemaker and winery manager. In 1988, he conceived and made the first E & E Black Pepper Shiraz, now an Australian benchmark wine, and in 1995 he was invited to head up the newly established Barossa Vintners.

Simultaneously, conditions were ripe for Colin to realise the dream of his own family label. As for Ben, he began life scooting around the cellars at Seppelt Great Western on his bike. At age 15 he was a cellar-hand at BVE and, with Roseworthy done and dusted by 20, also spent time at Tyrrell’s Wines. In 1998 he returned to the Barossa to work with his father at both Barossa Vintners and Glaetzer.

The primary role of this father-and-son team at Barossa Vintners is to manage the operations of a 10,000-tonne winery near the town of Tanunda. The pair produce wine for nine winemaker shareholders (including Glaetzer Wines), as per their specifications, as well as host of other producers. In 2003, this resulted in 960 wines being made from 26 different grape varieties.

Colin and Ben are also the force behind the Glaetzer label. Made from ridiculously old, dry-grown vines, the resulting wines are rich and powerful, exhibiting a softness and elegance that Colin attributes to the fruit from the Ebenezer district. In addition to Barossa Vintners and the family label, Ben, at 26, is involved with a project called Heartland Wines, a mid-priced range sourced primarily from the Limestone Coast and Langhorne Creek.

In partnership with Frank Mitolo, he makes the high-profile Mitolo Wines and all the wines for Woodstock in the McLaren Vale. Then there is the Amon-Ra Shiraz, of which 400 cases have been fashioned from low-yielding Ebenezer fruit. Ben describes this as his “figurehead” wine, and it has got the US critics raving. It is true to say the Glaetzer personalities are mirrored in their wine styles. Colin is traditional and conservative in his approach, mindful of the art and craft of winemaking. Ben, by comparison, is intent on proving himself as a modern and innovative winemaker, always experimenting, constantly evolving. Yin-ish, yang-ish, the halves create the whole, and together these two fulfil the criteria for this nomination for Winemaker of the Year.
SOPHIE OTTON

The Facts Region Barossa Valley Years in the Industry Colin Glaetzer, 34 years Ben Glaetzer, 11 years Annual Crush 7-8000 tonnes Standout Wines Glaetzer Shiraz, Amon-Ra Shiraz, Mitolo Serpico, Cabernet Sauvignon Nominee Colin and Ben Glaetzer Glaetzer Wines and Heartland Wines.
“Colin Glaetzer is a Barossa stalwart who has for many years worked without fame or fortune. Ben Glaetzer typifies the new generation of confident and decisive winemakers, whom Colin proudly edges towards the limelight, while remaining content to bask in his son’s aura”
PETER BOURNE