The South Australian Wine Story

With South Australia making so many of Australia’s truly great wines, it is hardly surprising that we also dominate the list of people who have shaped and led the industry. Ten of the 15 individuals to receive the Maurice O’Shea Award – recognised as the highest honour the industry can confer on one of its members – have come from South Australia. Their names are synonymous with Australia’s success: Max Schubert, David Wynn, Brian Croser, Dr Bryce Rankin, Wolf Blass, Guenter Prass, Dr Ray Beckwith, Philip Laffer, Dr Peter Dry and Robert Hill-Smith. While their individual personalities are as disparate as the wines they helped create, they share a bond as visionaries and innovators with a passion for the industry. Schubert and Blass are a case in point. Schubert, the man behind Grange, was quiet, unassuming, and happy to let his wine talk for him, while Blass is a true showman, his trademark bowtie recognisable around the world. Their joint legacy is a commitment to blending and to sourcing grapes from a variety of regions that helped create some of Australia’s great red wines. Schubert, who the international Decanter magazine named “man of the year” in 1988, worked hand in hand with Beckwith, whose pioneering research on stabilising wine and protecting it from spoilage revolutionised winemaking practices around the world and laid the foundations for Australia’s modern industry. It was one of the industry’s greatest ever partnerships. Wynn was renowned as an unorthodox thinker, as well as a great winemaker. He defied conventional wisdom to stake his future on a belief in the potential of the Coonawarra, and generations of Cabernet Sauvignon lovers have been the beneficiaries. Croser, who was Decanter’s “man of the year” in 2004, has been one of Australian wine’s great innovators for more than 40 years, and a champion of its premium wines. The founder of Petaluma in the Adelaide Hills and more recently Tapanappa Wines, he was one of the first in Australia to suit grape varieties to regions and is considered a mentor by many of our current leading winemakers. Of course, the list of South Australia’s leaders is not confined to those who have been honoured with the Maurice O’Shea. Peter Lehmann, the undisputed “Baron of the Barossa”, rivalled Blass as the public face of Australian wine, and when he passed away in July 2013 a nation mourned. A great winemaker and a great man, he was a larger than life character with personality and passion and it seemed that every man and woman in the street knew who he was and what he stood for. Newspapers wrote editorials, and hundreds of people came from far and wide to toast his memory and share stories in the grounds of his winery. Francis d’Arenberg Osborn (better known to all in the industry as d’Arry) holds a similarly legendary status in theMcLaren Vale, where he has overseen in excess of 70 vintages, more than half in partnership with his flamboyant son Chester, who is recognised around the world for both his winemaking skills and his taste in colourful shirts. His personality is reflected in the quirky d’Arenberg Cube, which opened in 2017 and is already one of the best known and loved wine centres in Australia. Personality Authentic people with belief and passion Max Schubert. Wolf Blass. Brian Croser. 06 The South Australian Wine Story