The name Maurice O'Shea to many wine lovers will not mean a lot. His name is not readily recognised by the general public, as is the name of Max Schubert. Perhaps because of this, the importance of his contribution to Australian winemaking has received only token recognition. Now is an appropriate time to re appraise the career of this Hunter River winemaking pioneer.

Max Lake maintains that "He was a great blender of wine, able to achieve effects like a painter uses colours and textures. Luckily for his reputation, he had the great good fortune to be subsidised against economic failure by McWilliams." He adds "In the final analysis I have no reservations that he would still stand out as a great winemaker, but life size, a man, puny and fallible like the rest of us."

I did not know O'Shea, and therefore can not speak personally of him, but I have talked to people who came into contact with him and who still have vivid recollections of him. As for his wine, I have only drunk the odd bottle, and time is very much against a critical appraisal of his wines. However, I hope to bring to the attention of a greater audience the life and work of O'Shea, and open a more vigorous debate about his contribution, and hopefully find more people (who are luckily still around) that have personal recollections of the man.

Lake writes "He lives on in the memory of his friends, and some who still drink his wines stand to toast his art. How will history deal with his reputation when (the wines and friends) are gone?"

"Drink wine, you will sleep a long time under the ground without woman or friend, listen to the secret, the withered tulip never revives."
A Spanish Proverb

Harry Cox knew Maurice O'Shea, and in his book The Wines of Australia (Hodder and Stoughton) wrote a Chapter on O'Shea, titled "The Gentle Perfectionist". The Chapter is not a critical review, and does not take the same objective position stance as Max Lake does. However, it does create a very interesting profile of the man. The Chapter is reproduced in its entirety.