Torbreck Winery: Keith investigates the connection between Paris and this winery in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia
The unmistakable rolling vineyards of the Barossa Valley are known around the globe for producing some of the world's finest. From LA to London - Barossa wines - particularly its reds are highly rated. As a result, South Australians travelling abroad are never too far from this reassuring link with home… but France?
With the trusty Conlon home video cam in hand I set out recently to find that touch of home in the city of love. The air in Paris is crisp and still, the winter skies overcast and cold - but the streets are still busy and the tourists in awe. As afternoon slips into night, my search for a homely 'touch-stone' takes me down a side street to Juveniles - a tiny hole in the wall wine bar that just says everything about being French. So what does this very Parisian bar have to do with South Australia?
Step inside and all becomes clear as Juveniles affable owner, Tim Johnston holds court. This passionate pom is just loves his wines and its reassuring to find amongst the exclusive French brands on his wine list - some warmly familiar labels - including Torbreck - you guessed it - from the Barossa. So how does a boutique wine like Torbreck end up in a cult Parisian wine bar run by an enigmatic ex-pat Englishman? Rewind half way around the world back home to South Australia and up a little side road in the Barossa Valley to find a tiny little settler's cottage - it's the cellar door of Torbreck Wines.
It's the creation of another affable wine man, Dave Powell. He founded Torbreck in 1994 after recognising the potential of the Barossa's old, dry-grown vines which are characteristic of the classic Rhone Valley styles from Southern France. Fifteen years later, Dave now owns over 200 acres of ancient Barossa vines.
Dave Powell, Torbreck Winery: "It's not just that fact the vines are 100-years old, it's the fact that their roots go down quite deep. With younger vineyards, particularly in a drought year like 2007 we really noticed it was that the older vineyards were consistent as they always are. Their roots are deep, they're right down in the sub-soil getting the moisture that's stored in the subsoil for years and years, getting minerals and so on almost down to the bedrock at times."
Appropriately, the Torbreck range that began in a 150 year old stone cottage now comes out of a tin shed - but not just any tin shed - this one's a multi million dollar state of the art winery designed and built by Dave himself. He took us into a vineyard of 100 year old Shiraz vines that are still producing deeply coloured berries - not a lot of fruit but in the right hands it's pure gold.
Dave Powell: "The idea of it is anybody can pick a ripe peach off a peach tree - they know when it's ripe. For some reason we think there's some magic hocus pocus formula that tells us when grapes are ripe - it's nothing like that whatsoever. Just taste them!"
That's part of the philosophy that sees Dave's wine being revered on the international stage - including Juveniles in Paris. But how did he come to make a wine specially for a wine bar on the other side of the world?
Tim Johnston, Juveniles wine bar, Paris: "Dave Powel was in here one night in December 1998. There were 12 growers from the southern Rhone and they'd all brought their own bottles under their arms with no labels and they said here taste this. And they tasted the wine and they were absolutely fantastic, full of fruit and they were divine and he said that's what I want to make."
The rest, as they say is history and Dave's Cuvee Juveniles remains a hit in Paris and, by demand, here as well. You'll find the Torbreck Cellar Door on Roennfeldt Road at Marananga. It's open Monday to Sunday from 10 till 6. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Torbreck Wines
Lot 51, Roennfeldt Road, Marananga, SA, 5352
Ph 8562 4155Published 14th June 2009
