Owner and winemaker Ben Glaetzer’s work in Langhorne Creek is one of the most exciting stories in Australia today. Heartland Wines came out of a lunch in 1999 between Ben and three friends, and a fear that rather than expressing the diversity of sites and rich history of the country, Australian wines were heading in a generic, commercial direction. Ben had grown excited at older, high quality vineyards he had seen in the cool-climate Langhorne Creek area, Australia’s oldest settled wine region, one hour south of Adelaide and southeast of McLaren Vale. With a temperature summation approximately equivalent to Alsace, the best Langhorne Creek vineyards benefit from very cool nights that offset warm days, with temperature swings that can reach nearly 40 degrees within a day. The Heartland Wines from Langhorne Creek display the originality and appeal of the area’s regional and varietal characteristics – they are food-friendly, balanced wines offering tremendous value.