by Ken Gargett

Australian winery Torbreck Vintners has been sold to a partnership consisting of the original founder, David Powell, and the proprietor of the Californian winery, Quivira Vineyards, Peter Kight.

Powell, who has been described by Robert Parker as “unquestionably one of the world's finest wine producers”, said the partnership with Kight was a “natural evolution of their shared winemaking vision, environmental goals, and personal friendship”.

The two met several years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, at a Torbreck tasting. When they met, Kight, the founder of 'Checkfree', was looking to purchase a winery in California. Powell subsequently provided advice in the acquisition of Quivera and also recommended that Steven Cantor, who spent four vintages with Powell at Torbreck, be appointed winemaker.

Kight said he had “great admiration for what Dave has built in such a short timeframe at Torbreck. Torbreck is an established brand that has become recognized as an icon of Barossa Valley winemaking. This new partnership gives us the opportunity to enable Torbreck's distinction and renown to transcend Australia.”

Agreement has been finalised for the new partnership to take out the previous shareholders.
Torbreck, named after a forest in Scotland where Powell worked as a lumberjack, was founded in 1994. It has become famous for its concentrated wines from old Barossan vines, such as the The Factor Shiraz, Runrig and Descendant Shiraz Viogniers, and the Les Amis Grenache. These wines have drawn high scores from Parker and subsequently attained some of the highest prices ever seen for Australian wine.