Maurice O'Shea (winemaker)
Encyclopedia
Maurice O'Shea 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.
where he studied viticulture
and oenology
He returned to Australia in 1920.
O'Shea married Marcia Singer Fuller on 2 December 1925 at St Peter's Anglican Church, Hamilton.
Maurice O'Shea died on May 5, 1956 of lung cancer even though he did not smoke. He is buried at Gore Hill Cemetery, Sydney.
A biography of Maurice O'Shea was written in 2006 by wine writer Campbell Mattinson
.
.
In 1932 O'Shea sold half of this business to McWilliams 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". McWilliams Mt. Pleasant 'Elizabeth' Semillon
is still made.
O'Shea most often made very small quantities of wine, often only one 2,275 litre cask.
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
. Maurice was the son of Irish born wine and spirit merchant John Augustus O'Shea (d.1912) and Leontine Frances, née Beaucher.
History
Maurice completed his secondary schooling at Riverview College. He then studied winemaking at Montpellier University and, in 1917, enrolled at the Institut National Agronomique Paris-GrignonInstitut national agronomique Paris-Grignon
The Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon was a French grande école. It was created in 1971 by merging the Institut national agronomique and the École nationale supérieure d'Agronomie de Grignon, thus having a history that goes back to 1826.INA P-G disappeared as an administrative entity on...
where he studied viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
and oenology
Oenology
Oenology,[p] œnology , or enology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which is a subfield called viticulture. “Viticulture & oenology” is a common designation for training programmes and research centres that include both the...
He returned to Australia in 1920.
O'Shea married Marcia Singer Fuller on 2 December 1925 at St Peter's Anglican Church, Hamilton.
Maurice O'Shea died on May 5, 1956 of lung cancer even though he did not smoke. He is buried at Gore Hill Cemetery, Sydney.
A biography of Maurice O'Shea was written in 2006 by wine writer Campbell Mattinson
Campbell Mattinson
Campbell Mattinson is an Australian writer and critic who has specialised in wine since 2000. He began a journalism cadetship in 1987 and has worked as a journalist, editor, publisher, and freelance writer ever since...
.
Winemaking
In 1925 Maurice began making wine on his family's vineyard, which he named Mount Pleasant, in Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
In 1932 O'Shea sold half of this business to McWilliams 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". McWilliams Mt. Pleasant 'Elizabeth' Semillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
is still made.
O'Shea most often made very small quantities of wine, often only one 2,275 litre cask.