Brander Vineyard

Operation Hours:

11am-5pm   April-October

11am-4pm   November-March

History:

The history of the Brander family in the New World starts with Fred’s grandfather, Fritz Brander, who emigrated from Sweden to Argentina in the early 1900’s. Fritz completed his studies in economics at the prestigious Handelshogskolan School of Economics in Stockholm, Sweden. His academic accomplishments were recognized by the King of Sweden, who granted him a three-year, expense paid, business scholarship.

Fritz traveled to England for the first year of his post-graduate studies to learn the textile business, then chose France for his second year, where he apprenticed in the wine trade. For his third and final year, he ventured to more distant lands, where he learned the agricultural export business in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

One would think that having finished his post-graduate studies, Fritz would have chosen to follow the wine business in Europe. Instead he set his eyes on returning to Argentina to take advantage of the thriving economy there.  With the help of the famed Wallenberg banking family of Sweden, Fritz was able to start an import-export business. During his first years in Argentina, the business prospered by exporting wheat grown in the Pampas to Sweden and other parts of Europe. For the return trip to Argentina, the same ships were loaded with cobblestones mined in Sweden. These cobblestones were then used to pave the many beautiful avenues that one still sees in downtown Buenos Aires.