Hospice du Rhone: What's In A Name?
© Andy Abramson
May 31, 2003
David Powell has a neat way to name his wines: Favorite bars from his time in Edinborough, Scotland. Or wine buyers his at favorite Parisian wine bars. Heck, even places and jobs that he has held make it on the labels of the Torbreck wines he produces.
Take Juveniles, the bold and seductive unoaked blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mataro. It is named after Tim Johnston's pill-box size wine bar in the 1st Arrondisement in Paris. Johnston hates oak, and during his time with partner Mark Williamson at Willy's Wine Bar used to pour a southern French unoaked red blend. He asked Powell to make a similar wine. When Johnston and Williamson split, Johnston took the Juveniles bar and Powell took the name for the new wine.
The Steading, Run Rig and The Factor are each named after the Edinborough pubs Powell used to frequent, but now that he's in the Barossa Valley he's run out of Scottish bar names.
Torbreck's entry-level wines, Woodcutter's Red and Woodcutter's White, are from Powell's era as a lumberjack. In fact, the name Torbreck itself comes from that chapter in his life: It is the name of the forest where Powell worked.
Cheers,
Andy Abramson
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