The first Glaetzers settled in the Barossa Valley in 1888 after emigrating from Brandenburg, Germany. The family left Germany on board the Nord-Deutscher Lloyd steamer “Habsburg” and took seven weeks to reach their final destination of Port Adelaide. From here they settled in a country town called Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley where they started their new life in Australia. The family were some of the earliest recorded viticulturalists in the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. Over a century later, winemaking patriarch Colin Glaetzer established Glaetzer Wines, a boutique family owned winery producing premium Barossa Valley wines.

Today Colin’s son Ben carries on the wine making traditions at Glaetzer Wines. Indeed it was the birth of Glaetzer Wines that signaled a new era for Colin’s family which boasts more than its fair share of winemakers.

The irrepressible Ben Glaetzer is the driving force behind Glaetzer Wines. Ben graduated in winemaking from Adelaide University in South Australia after working at Barossa Valley Estate during school and university holidays.

After travelling extensively throughout many of the worlds wine regions, Ben returned to the Barossa and joined the family company. Ben’s ability to blend traditional winemaking techniques with a modern flair is reflected in the style of wines under the Glaetzer label. He makes unique, elegant wines with minimal intervention, which are regarded as classics and unmistakably Barossan.

Along with the numerous trophies and awards for his wines, Ben’s winemaking honours include:

Qantas Young Winemaker of the Year

Robert M. Parker Jnr Wine Personality of the Year

New World Winemaker of the Year in Behind the Label (UK)

“Baron of the Barossa” for his contribution to the cultural fabric of the Barossa Valley.