Maurice O'Shea (winemaker)

Maurice George O'Shea (13 June 1897 – 5 May 1956) was one of Australia's most respected winemakers, and is often referred to as the father of Australia's modern winemaking. Maurice was the son of Irish born wine and spirit merchant John Augustus O'Shea (d.1912) and Leontine Frances, née Beaucher.[1][2]

History

Maurice completed his secondary schooling at Riverview College.[3] He then studied winemaking at Montpellier University and, in 1917, enrolled at the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon where he studied viticulture and oenology[4] He returned to Australia in 1920.

O'Shea married Marcia Singer Fuller on 2 December 1925 at St Peter's Anglican Church, Hamilton.[1]

Maurice O'Shea died on 5 May 1956 of lung cancer even though he did not smoke. He is buried at Gore Hill Cemetery, Sydney.[1]

A biography of Maurice O'Shea was written in 2006 by wine writer Campbell Mattinson.[5]

Winemaking
An empty bottle of 1952 Hunter Valley "Stephen Hermitage" Shiraz made by Maurice O'Shea

In 1925 Maurice began making wine on his family's vineyard,[6] which he named Mount Pleasant, in Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

In 1932 O'Shea sold half of this business to McWilliam's Wines Pty Ltd. O'Shea stayed on as Manager and Director of the new subsidiary Mount Pleasant Wines Pty Ltd. In 1941 he sold the remaining half of the business and stayed on as manager and winemaker.

Maurice O'Shea named many of his wines after his friends, rather than the more orthodox method of naming them with a Bin Number of letter. The names included "Elizabeth", "Henry" and "George".[7] McWilliams Mt. Pleasant 'Elizabeth' Semillon is still made.[8]

O'Shea most often made very small quantities of wine, often only one 2,275 litre cask.[6]

Recognition

The Maurice O'Shea Award was inaugurated in 1990, and is now awarded every second year. Those honoured include Max Schubert (1990), Wolf Blass (2000) and Ray Beckwith. (2006)

References
  1. Dunstan, David. O'Shea, Maurice George (1897–1956). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  2. 'The Wines of Australia', Oliver Mayo, 1986, Faber & faber Ltd
  3. 'Hunter Wine', Make Lake,1964, The Jacaranda Press Pty Ltd
  4. "Mount Pleasant Estate - Maurice O'Shea". Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  5. Wine Hunter: The Man Who Changed Australian Wine, (2006) ISBN 978-0-7336-2125-3
  6. Halliday, James (2010). The Australian Wine Encyclopedia. Hardie Grant Books. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-74066-774-6.
  7. 'The Wines, Vineyards and Vignerons of Australia', Andre Simon, 1966, The Hamlyn Publishing Group, p116-117
  8. "Mount Pleasant - Our Wines - 'Name' Series". Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
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