Origins of an Icon

It might come as a surprise, given winemaking history in the Barossa Valley stretches back almost two-hundred years, that one of its foremost wineries is barely over thirty years old. But Torbreck is just that.

Founded in 1994, and named for a forest just outside the founder’s native Inverness (Scottish names are prominent in Torbreck’s range!) its aim was simple. To express the singular terroir of the Barossa Valley through the prism of its treasure trove of ancient, pre-phylloxera vines – many of them well over 100, some of them as old as 175.

Almost straight out of the gate they were identified as something special, the Wine Advocate praising just their second vintage of their inaugural wine, RunRig. Since then the winery has worked with local growers and scoured the region for plots of old vines, nursing many examples back to health when they had been abandoned.

The work is ongoing. In their own words: ‘the journey is far from complete. We continue to look forward, believing the best Barossa grapes are yet to be picked and the finest Torbreck wines are yet to be made.’ With their combination of the flavours and concentration found only through centurion vines, and the gentle, minimal-intervention approach that allows the grape full expression, they’re almost certainly right.