The Brander Family Legacy
The Brander family’s winemaking story spans three continents and over a century of ambition, artistry, and agriculture.
It began in the early 1900s with Fred Brander’s grandfather, Fritz Brander, who left Sweden for Argentina after completing his economics degree at Stockholm’s Handelshögskolan. Awarded a three-year royal scholarship, he studied textiles in England, wine in France, and agriculture in Buenos Aires. Rather than pursue a European wine career, Fritz saw opportunity in Argentina’s booming economy. With backing from Sweden’s Wallenberg banking family, he founded Brander & Co., exporting wheat and importing Swedish cobblestones to pave Buenos Aires’ streets. By the 1940s, he had become the Swedish Consul General in Argentina.
Fritz’s son Erik continued the family business and later moved to California with his wife Virginia and their children in 1962. In 1975, Erik and Fred planted the first vines on a 40-acre property in Los Olivos, establishing what would become one of Santa Barbara County’s premier estate vineyards. Erik, also a talented painter, lovingly tended the vines for decades.
Fred, fascinated by science from a young age, studied on three continents—including UC Davis, where he earned his Master of Food Science. His international background and passion for wine led him to launch a wine import business, then to create his own wines on the family estate. His first Sauvignon Blanc in 1977 won Santa Barbara County its first gold medal at a major wine competition.
Today, Fred continues to produce acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc and small-lot Cabernet Sauvignon, driven by the same pursuit of excellence. A global citizen, collector of Latin American art, and champion of Santa Barbara wine, Fred honors his heritage with every bottle—reflected in the flags of Sweden, Argentina, and the U.S. flying over the winery.
