David Powell was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. His father was a chartered accountant and David soon found himself on a similar career path.

Studying Economics at Adelaide University, he was introduced to wine by an uncle and soon he found himself spending more and more time in the Barossa Valley. After leaving university, David naturally gravitated towards wine and spent the next twenty-five years learning his trade in the famous vineyards and wineries of South Australia.

In the winters, he took the opportunity to travel overseas and worked vintage in both California and Italy, before taking the time to travel in the famous regions of Europe. Whilst invaluable, this experience was also instrumental in showing him the value of the unique attributes of the Barossa, at a time when others felt this heritage was past its sell by date.

It was in the early 1990’s that the idea of ‘Torbreck’ started to take shape. Initially, David was saddened by the government sponsored ‘Vine Pull’, but he was also convinced a market existed for old vine Rhone styles and he set about approaching local landowners concerning their neglected properties.

Nearly lifeless and overgrown, he nurtured these old vines back to health and was rewarded with a few small parcels of dry grown fruit, which he turned into wine. Contracts were then negotiated for the use of these vineyards with the individual growers, and so the old practice of share farming returned to the Valley. This secured for Torbreck a regular supply of the best Barossa Shiraz, Grenache, and Mataro (Mourvedre) vineyards containing some of the oldest vines in the world.

As the fruits of the first vintages lay in barrel, David returned to his experiences overseas and realized that the Valley could have overlooked the suitability of the French white Rhone varieties. Consequently in 1994, 30 acres of land in Marananga was purchased for the sole purpose of planting, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier and Shiraz, whilst other acquisitions included a one hundred year old vineyard that had been previously share farmed.

David is a passionate believer in the Barossa Valley, its viticultural heritage and the value of traditional wine making practises. He has fused his love for the cuvees of the northern and Southern Rhone with the outstanding raw materials and terroir of the Barossa Valley.