Heartland Wines

The label for the Heartland Wines range, from Limestone Coast and Langhorne Creek, is a graphic tribute to their multi-layered complexity, depicting all the spices and herbs that reviewers have found in the wines.

This is where it all began for Australian wine – Heartland is based in Langhorne Creek, home to reputedly the oldest (pre-phylloxera) Cabernet Sauvignon vines on earth. And today’s Heartland wines display the opulence and fine texture that sets this region apart.

Winemaker Ben Glaetzer reckons he was the first winemaker to create a blend of Dolcetto and Lagrein – and he remains the only one to do so on a regular basis. But if life had been different, he might have been a professional Aussie Rules footballer. Or, as Ben puts it, if he’d been good enough…

Meanwhile, general manager Nick Keukenmeester once performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and retains a taste for Kentish beer Shepherd Neame Master Brew (alongside a more patriotic penchant for Cooper’s Pale Ale). Oh, and if you happen to be touring the bodegas of Jerez and find a diary, it might be Nick’s. He lost it there 10 years ago and would quite like it back.