Before David Powell took on the task of raiding Barossa vineyards, he spent several years on the Scottish Highlands as a lumberjack in the Torbreck forest. Woodcutter Shiraz is a highly approachable introduction to the Torbreck range, featuring fruit from some of the up and coming vineyards, rather than the battle hardened old warriors which make up the heart and soul of the Torbreck winelist. This is the kind of red the winemaker himself liked to drink with a hearty meal after a hard day's work in the wood, but you don't have to be a woodcutter to enjoy it.

From good vineyards at Greenock and Marananga, Seppeltsfield, Gomersal, Moppa, Lyndoch and Kalimna, hand tended by the Barossa's most capable growers. Low yielding, old, dry grown vines are the cornerstone of Torbreck. Manual winemaking methods and minimal intervention are combined o produce a profound style. The growers have been selected for the uniqueness of their site and spartan approach to viticulture. The focus at Torbreck wines is on the vineyards, not the winery. Woodcutter is fermented in steel, wood and cement vats over the course of a week, basket pressed to well seasoned hogsheads and French oak foudres for a year, bottled without fining or filtration.