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The Maurice O’Shea Labels: for Breathe Magazine

Posted in Wine Knowledge, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

2011 Hunter Valley Heritage Award recipient ….

Rhiannon Stevens steps back in Hunter history to the time of Maurice O’Shea

Maurice O'Shea

The Hunter Valley Heritage Award acknowledges landmark historical importance that has  influenced or significantly contributed to the Hunter Valley Wine Industry. Previous recipients have included historical landmarks of physical heritage. This year the importance of printed works to the place making of the Hunter Valley region have been acknowledged. The Maurice O’Shea Mount Pleasant Labels are classic collateral heritage endemic to the Hunter Valley, and symbolise our fine winemaking reputation and identity.

At the unveiling of the Heritage Cairn in March 2012, Hunter Valley Legend and sponsor of the Cairn, Brian McGuigan explained “the Cairn project is designed to recognise the people, places or objects that have nurtured and been crucial to the development and stature of the district, so it is fitting that we salute Maurice O’Shea and McWilliams”. Maurice O’Shea founded his vineyard “Mount Pleasant” in 1921, and during the depression forged an enduring relationship with the McWilliam family.  Whilst 2012 marks the 90th Vintage at Mount Pleasant in the Hunter Valley, it also honoured the 135th anniversary of winemaking for the McWilliam family.

Maurice O’Shea’s leadership was instrumental in positioning the Hunter Valley as a premium wine region. Brian McGuigan remarked “Maurice O’Shea did something special. He had something really outstanding in his capacity to recognise the certain traits of grapes and wine”. A pioneer of early Australian winemaking, Maurice O’Shea literally changed his field. Produced in a era where fortified wines were the standard – flagship styles of Shiraz and Semillon were championed without electricity, machine-driven cooling systems or any of the modern winemaking equipment used today. Maurice O’Shea’s wines were a testament to his vision and skill as a viticulturist and winemaker. Experimental blending, styles developed for the market and sophisticated wines with prudent alcohol levels were O’Shea’s specialties. The mastery of his craft is evident with the refined intensity and longevity of his wines, many of O’Shea’s wines outlived the man. O’Shea’s table wines showed creative artistry and have left a lasting impression on the world as icons of the Hunter Valley, and set the standard for Australian wines at their best.

The Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association has formed valuable links with the University of Newcastle to collect and share historical narratives of our region’s winemaking past. Julie McIntyre from the University of Newcastle presents the notion that “wine is a creative field in which art and science combine. As O’Shea blended his wines, he blended together the idea of wine and it’s place in history”. Julie’s representation of Maurice O’Shea provides insight into Maurice O’Shea’s daily work. Describing him as one of the true romantics of wine, Julie read from a letter penned by O’Shea on 15 February 1924:

“We expect to start the grape picking on Wednesday next though at this moment it seems hardly possible for us to be ready in time … We are having some heavy downpours of rain just now and it seems that we are to expect a wet vintage. This is a nightmare to look forward to as the ground is so soddy and heavy that the loaded carts often get bogged, or even overturned, and the horses constantly lose their foothold; besides it is heavy work for the animals and knocks them up terribly. There seems to be some trouble in securing grape pickers this year. It is really unaccountable as many pits [mines] are idle and there should be more children than ever”. The account lists the hardships and tribulations that   we no longer face with modern machinery and vineyard practices – although wet harvests are still a challenge and mechanical harvesters have replaced child labour! It seems Maurice O’Shea’s romantic side didn’t end with his passion for wine. His diaries and letters have also provided a valuable account of O’Shea’s affections for Marcia Fuller, whom he later married. Maurice O’Shea on all accounts was a true romantic with the sign off from the same letter:

“My Dearest – I hope everything at home is quite satisfactory and that you are keeping your promise of looking after your dear little self so that I shall have lovely rosy cheeks and sweet red lips to kiss … Loving you more than ever – love always, Your Maurice”.

“History has made the Hunter Valley so important internationally,” said Hunter Valley Legend Brian McGuigan, “the wine that comes from here; it’s style and it’s quality has separated us from our peers in this country and abroad”. Maurice O’Shea produced remarkable and memorable wines during his lifetime, inspiring many in his industry. It is reassuring to note that many generations of the McWilliams followed in O’Shea’s footsteps. Don McWilliam, fourth generation in the McWilliams family and patron for the Maurice O’Shea Mount Pleasant Labels, joined O’Shea to learn the craft from the 1954 Vintage. Sadly, O’Shea passed away shortly after in 1956. Today, Scott McWilliam is senior winemaker at Mount Pleasant representing the sixth generation of this pioneering wine family.

Cheers for the next Century of winemaking at Mount Pleasant!

This article was published in Breathe Magazine Spring 2012, Breathe Magazine – Issue 34, Spring 2012.

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What’s in a Name? Mules of the Wine World.

Posted in Half Full or Half Empty?, Wine Knowledge, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 20, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Hybrids. What do we know about them?

Cheap to run, fuel saving, energy efficient… Disease Resistant?!

Hybrids of the wine world are those single varieties which are genetic result of two or more other grape varieties. But how prominent are hybridised varieties in the Australian Market? They might be more common than you think.

Is Chambourcin the mule of the wine world? A favourite amongst hybridised wine producing grape varieties, Chambourcin has held its own through being a deep coloured wine with intense aromatic flavour, and not having any “foxy” flavour carried by many hybrids. Along with its intense colour it is interestingly one of the worlds only Pink-Pulped varieties. It is also favourably resistant to fungal diseases – a reason it has become popular to the Australian climate. It also makes a fabulous sparkling wine – and we all know how much Australia loves Sparkling Red. So what’s wrong with a mule if it pulls the cart the same… if not better than a horse?

But would a wine by any other name still taste as… sweet? Chambourcin has only been available since 1963, and was developed by Johannes Seyve. Once upon a time, Chambourcin was named Johannes Seyve 26-205 and I once read, “Chambourcin” is also the name of a cheese. Perhaps its excellent pairing with cheese lead to the naming? Unfortunately for us, Johannes never wrote anything down when he was cross-pollinating with his paintbrush (forcing flowers to fornicate can really be a distracting process). Johannes defiled up to 8 vitis ancestries to produce Chambourcin and unfortunately for us, later died with no records of the official parentage (and we do hope it was of natural causes and not owed to Chambourcin). Mystery is not always romantic, but the grape was born from a native North American grape, and French vines in the Loire Valley. Chambourcin still remains a bastard of sorts not knowing who its many fathers are.

Perhaps it comes back to the naming of the grape. If its pseudonym sounds traditional - a hybrid is more easily accepted by the Old World. Take for example Durif. In Australia more often than not – we call it by the name of the man that invented it. The Durif variety originated in 1880 when François Durif (a botanist) founded a cross of Syrah and Peloursin. Egotistically he named it after himself – but hey who’s judging? – I had a wine named after me too. The point of the story, is that the majority of Petite Sirah plantings can be DNA proven to be Durif. Same Diff huh? Apparently this happens alot.

Of  course Zinfandel‘s fairy tale story arouses the continual arguement of nature versus nurture. Zinfandel has been genetically proven to be the same grape as Primitivo of Italy and Crljenak Kaštelanski of Croatia. (yeah dont ask me how to say that last one). So what happened? Separated at birth, given different names, regional terroir and traditons change the style of wine produced and we just forgot that it went on a holiday under an alias? Did they not check the passport? Keep in mind, this example is not a hybrid, but each is a clone of the same variety. Which one is Molly?

Australia (and many new world wine producing countries) tend to be kinder to hybridised varietals than the old wine world. I have heard that the European Union has prohibited Chambourcin to be blended with traditional varieties. This seems to be a bit “variety racist”. But is it ironic considering the origins of many of Europe’s “traditonal” grape’s ancestry. As well as the fact that many “traditional” varieties are grafted onto American root stocks in order to be disease resistant.

Speaking of “traditional” grape varieties…. Merlot, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon… BUZZ Epic Fail. What most people DON’T know is that Cabernet Sauvignon (although naturally occuring) is a hybrid… of sorts. Originally from Bordeaux, and considered the noblest of grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon has long lived a lie. OOh I feel like a gossip columnist…Ever wondered why Cabernet Franc has blackcurrant , cassis, tabacco and raspberry flavours and so does Cabernet Sauvignon? Also, Cabernet Sauvignon sometimes has herbaceous greeness, and what other “Sauvignon” carries these green grassy flavours? You betcha! Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc had a dirty weekend in the 1600′s. And Cabernet Sauvignon is in fact a love child. And I blame the French. Well – they obviously knew all this time… they NAMED the grape. Perverts, probably set them up on a blind date. This grape family is truely dysfunctional with all this DNA testing.

Apparently Humans share up to a third of our DNA with a Lettuce, and in my reasoning, a lettuce and a grapevine can’t be that far apart genetically. Perhaps we have a close affiliation to wine because we share DNA. You can’t choose your family hey? But I admit… I am another Chardonnay Clone.

Cheers!

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Why did they leave all the hard-to-pronounce ones til last?

Posted in Half Full or Half Empty?, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

The wine industry is forever chortling about all the Verd-del-hoes, Mossel’s,  “Semillon”-Blancs, Card-on-nays and the occasional discussion on Cabernet Sauvignon as being a blend between the “two” grapes.  Once of my favourites has been the ever faithful “Can I please try the… V..Vi..Vo.. Voyager?”

I am sure the French are not so arrogant to expect the rest of the world to speak French. Afterall they do tolerate the Italian pronunciation of the “t” in Merlot. (But only barely) LOL

One of the more obscure queries in Cellar Door about the once rare Viognier’s origins came from a Frenchman. He had the gall to ask an Aussie whether Australia had named the grape? Her reply was said with the finest roll of the tongue she could afford: “Why on Earth would an Australian name a grape Viognier?” Wouldn’t an Aussie take the easier path? the Frenchman saw himself as somewhat an expert on French wine. He had no idea that the Rhone region uses Viognier and that his people had ignorantly almost sent the grape extinct in the past. Australia had only “borrowed” their Shiraz Viognier co-fermenting technique, and I am proud to name that Australian winemakers have conquerered the technique such as Clonakilla.

It makes me fantasise as to whether the romance and allure of all the fancy enunciations of wine terms would be lost if Australian slang took over more than a “Cab Sauv” or “Chardy”. Does the way we say a word value-add it in any way? Do we drink  “Sauv Blanc” because it makes our life better, out of convenience, fashion or for the plain cultural value?

Would we still appreciate the plonk if thats all it is? I believe there are great implications of this in the Australian market. Many consumers from what I know drink what they like or what market trends subconsciously tell them they like. But sometimes consumers are too afraid or intimidated to order the “Voyager”  in case they embarrass themselves. Many consumers have the money, the drive, the interest, the motive but lack some simple information – the key to ordering what they want. How on earth is that pronounced? Would the sommelier judge them if they didnt say Viognier right?

High praise goes to Yalumba here. Why? Not because they had the first commercial plantings of Viognier in Australia, and not because they were some of the first Viognier’s on the Supermarket Shelves. In an effort to improve the profile of Viognier as a variety, Yalumba drove a major Australian Campaign only a few years ago. On Billboards across Australia and in Magazines and other Print media, Viognier sprawled into the wine marketplace. Their efforts were noteworthy – their campaign simply read VEE-ON-YAY! Can I give three cheers to Yalumba’s marketing team? Hooray! They educated the consumer in a way the consumer wouldn’t even know. Yet, next time you see it on a wine list you can proudly ask for the “Vee-on-yay”.

I was once asked by a customer as to why they had never seen straight varietals like Petit Verdot, Chambourcin, or Viognier before. Plain and simple. Australia is a product of its motherlands and we are very traditional in our ways. If we didn’t mimic the old world wine countries in their styles, the market may not have bought our wines. It is only recently over the past decade or so that Australian Winemakers have taken themselves seriously enough to tackle entrepreneurial styles. Sparkling Red MUMMAH! Straight Petit Verdot OOHH! What is the wine world coming to? There are varietals coming out of the woodworks that I have not even tried before. I was very fond of Lowe Wine’s Tinja Roussanne, and I am very keen to get my hands on the mysteries of unknown varietals.

Cheers!

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