Heartland Wines

Heartland is that place between the vines with the best view of the gum trees. When we first got together to start Heartland all those years ago, the idea was to embrace the best Australian fruit could offer and create wines of balance and texture with a uniquely Australian identity. We found a pure expression of this identity in Langhorne Creek. This has remained the chief source of our fruit ever since.

Grant Tilbrook, Scott Collett and Ben Glaetzer form the backbone and foundation of Heartland Wines. Grant had been an important part of Scott’s continued success with Woodstock Wine Estate in McLaren Vale. A partnership seemed an obvious progression. By working together they were able to create their shared dreams faster and better. Grant was one of the first to recognise Ben’s true potential and it wasn't long before they had formed a plan to make a range of unique and impressive wines.

Langhorne Creek was an obvious destination for the grapes they needed. Ben had grown up immersed in the potential of Langhorne Creek through the work of his uncle John Glaetzer. Now they knew where the right fruit was and they had John to help them access it. Scott Collett explains the ethos, "We want to express the best from those grapes and vineyards that we can without messing it up too much, winemaking and viticulture is all about not messing it up, letting the vine grow."

Langhorne Creek today is a region that young, dynamic winemakers have discovered and are transforming from a “quiet” appellation of quality wines to one of the upcoming regional stars of Australia. The unique climate and the quality old vines first attracted Ben, and in addition to the Heartland vineyards, Ben works with about two dozen growers that have vineyards ranging from 30 to 140 years of age. The vineyards are on a largely flat plain, sheltered beyond the Mt Lofty ranges. The “Lake Doctor” phenomenon is a cool ocean breeze that comes across Lake Alexandrina every afternoon and moderates temperatures. The Heartland name refers to the region’s history as the oldest winegrowing region in Australia. Some of Heartland’s growers are also located in neighboring Limestone Coast, which by virtue of its cooler climate and differing, limestone soils, produces wines of finesse and elegance.

Langhorne Creek owns over 150 years of grape growing and wine making heritage and is one of Australia's oldest wine producing regions. Grapes have been grown here since the 1850s. It is also home to the world's oldest recorded Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, dating back to 1891. Langhorne Creek was originally a watering stop and then a cattle station for drovers moving cattle across country. It is named for two such drovers, Alfred and Henry Langhorne, who went on to raise cattle here in the 1840s. Ten years later Frank Potts discovered the potential for grapes and the regions identity transformed with his discovery.

Today the region remains small, largely undiscovered and far from the tourist trail. The tight-knit community is bonded by a determination to grow the finest grapes. Their consistent ability to do so has been proven by the demand for Langhorne Creek grapes by producers both large and small. Fruit from Langhorne Creek has helped to created multiple Jimmy Watson Trophy winners, Australia's most prestigious wine award. Langhorne Creek is tasted [if not seen] in some of the countries most iconic multi-regional blends.

80 kilometres south-east of the capital of Adelaide, Langhorne Creek, the landscape of Langhorne Creek is quintessentially Australian with River Red Gums running along the Angas and Bremmer rivers. These rivers form a traditional flood plain and this long flat country runs down to the nearby Lake Alexandrina.

Langhorne Creek is a decidedly cool climate with heat degree-days below both Padthaway and the Clare Valley. This is partly due to what the locals call the Lake Doctor. The Lake Doctor is a wind coming off the nearby Lake Alexandrina. It moderates the summer sun and helps to ward against pests and winter frost. This wind carries its cooling effect from the Antarctic and Southern ocean and sees no land to warm it before it reaches our vines. The difference to the climate is dramatic.

Owing to long standing friendships, Heartland has unrestricted access to some of the regions very best family run vineyards. This is supported by our own Angas Vineyard and means we not only get the best fruit, but we have a voice in how it is grown.

Heartland makes its wines and Ben Glaetzer makes his home in Barossa Vintners in Tanunda. Some people are surprised to learn that grapes from Langhorne Creek are fermented and matured one hundred kilometres away, but to us this is not just natural; it is the best possible solution.

Barossa Vintners is the first of its kind. Conceived as a state-of-the-art winemaking facility with the capacity to make wines for a core group of top end producers whose fame and demand had grown beyond their winemaking capacities. Completed in 1995, Barossa Vintners was developed by these industry leaders to minimize labour needs in the winery and make wines in the most natural possible way. The natural slope of the land allows the winery to be gravity fed and avoid harsh pumping of the grapes and juice.

At the centre of all this is Ben Glaetzer, the winemaker at Barossa Vintners, with all the conceivable equipment and resources he needs to create the wines he wants.

The best grapes from the finest vineyards in Langhorne Creek are recruited to create Heartland One. The vineyards are also notably affected by the The “Lake Doctor” phenomenon, a cool ocean breeze that comes across the nearby and substantial Lake Alexandrina every afternoon and moderates temperatures, bringing them down 30-40 degrees. The overall heat that vineyards see, as a result, in some years is more equivalent to a cool climate region like Alsace, yet the fruit still achieves fantastic, intense ripeness.