Hillside Vineyard

In 1848 Samuel Springbett, and family (Elanor, Samuel, John & Edward) immigrated from Wiltshire, England, to Lyndoch, a prosperous town in the southern Barossa Valley of South Australia.

On arrival to Holdfast Bay, they walked to Lyndoch where they initially leased 100 acres on the Williamstown Road. Following a successful harvest Samuel purchased the Hillside property in 1849.

Along with cropping, fruit trees, livestock, and other farm activities of the day, a small vineyard was established (c.1850) following in the success of new vineyard plantings and the fledgling cottage industry in viticulture and winemaking established in the Barossa Valley. Over the next few years, more vineyards were planted and eventually, a small two-storey stone winery was built in the early1860’s. For the next one hundred years, three generations of Springbetts tended these vines and worked the land, after which time the estate had multiple owners.

In 2002 Torbreck purchased the 312-acre Hillside Vineyard estate, remarkably still predominately in its original form, including three significant vineyard plantings (c.1850 Shiraz and 1949 Grenache) along with heritage-listed buildings which were formerly used as a 19th-century winery and cellar.

From purchase until the present day, Torbreck’s main focus has been on returning the property to its original form as a working, fully selfcontained, and sustainable farm and vineyards. This has included rejuvenating soil and vine health of the old vineyards, eradicating weeds and feral animals, whilst returning waterways and scrubland to their natural state

The estate is now home to a range of grape varieties, including heritage Shiraz and Grenache clones, which are used in the production of some of Torbreck's most regarded wines, including RunRig, The Steading, , and Hillside Vineyard Grenache. Newer vineyard plantings of red and white Rhone varieties for Cuvee Juveniles and Cuvee Juveniles Blanc have also been added.

The vineyard benefits from thin, skeletal, alluvial soils and gently undulating hills at Lyndoch's southern entrance to the Barossa Valley. Due to its low elevation of 200m above sea level, its ripening pattern is well ahead of that of the northern Barossa, and the fruit is harvested early in the season. This results in highly expressive wines with fragrant aromatics, great tension, and impeccable balance.

Rejuvenation of an Iconic Estate

Over the years, Torbreck has implemented a multi-stage program to rejuvenate all aspects of Hillside and restore it to its former stature as one of the great wine estates of the Barossa Valley.

In the first stage of the program, regenerative farming was implemented with the goal of restoring the land from decades of degrading practices and setting up systems for a future of more sustainable, balanced, and holistic farming. This included extensive fencing for natural weed management and segregation of threatened ecosystems, removal of intensive weeds, promotion of plant and animal biodiversity, replanting of threatened plant species, land and soil restoration, and the introduction of bee hives for natural pollination of vines.

In the second stage of the program, Torbreck focused on using modern (and traditional) viticultural technology to minimise impacts on the environment while improving vine health and grape quality. This included the use of leading-edge satellite technology to map soil profiles, new under vine crop management techniques and machinery to reduce weed spray, soil tilling, and erosion, highly targeted irrigation systems to minimize water use while maximizing efficiency and controlling yield, and the planting of a range of new Rhone grape varieties chosen for their drought tolerance and suitability to the Barossa's warm climate.

The final stage of the project involved the restoration of the heritage winery buildings and vineyards on the estate. In 2014, Torbreck began rejuvenating the oldest Shiraz vineyard on the property, the 1-acre "Old Shiraz" vineyard planted in 1850. Left forlorn and far from its true potential over the years, the vineyard was rejuvenated through careful attention to improving soil health and traditional hand pruning. Today, the vineyard produces and exceptional and distinctive single vineyard wine, The Forebear, fitting of the stature of the vineyard.

Torbreck is dedicated to taking a long term approach to farming and winemaking, prioritising quality winegrowing and sustainable vineyard practices across all their vineyards. These practices have become a fundamental part of Torbreck's operations, reflecting a commitment to the longevity of the Barossa as one of the world’s premier wine growing regions and visitor destinations.