In China, when it comes to Australian wine, it is Penfolds. However, in the Australian domestic market, it is not Penfolds that is famous and sells well, but Mount Pleasant, which was created by another so-called "founder of Australian wine".
Max Schubert, the creator of Penfolds Grange, once said, "I feel very humble in front of the wines made by O'Shea."
What kind of man would make the King of Wine, Grange, bow down? He is Maurice o'shea, the founder of Mount Pleasant.
Maurice O'shea is not only one of the founding fathers of Australia's modern wine industry, but also a legendary winemaker in the Hunter Valley.
After studying winemaking in France as a young man, Mr. O'Shea returned to Australia in 1921 and purchased one of the finest vineyards of red volcanic soils, a unique structure that was formed millions of years ago and is found in only a handful of plots in the Hunter Valley. These sites produce distinctive grapes with intense fruit flavors and outstanding structure.
Over the next 35 years, he earned the respect and admiration of wine lovers across Australia by producing refreshing wines at a time when fortified wines were dominating the Australian market - later to be known as Bison Hill.
Today, Chief Winemaker Jim Chatto continues to lead his team to progress, as Mr. O'Shea did in his day, by measuring the vineyard grounds with his feet and tasting the wines one by one, either in barrel or in bottle, to continue the tradition of the winery and to develop the future of Australian wine.
The winery sells 15% of its production overseas each year, with China being the most important overseas market. Bishop's Hill is also a major promotional brand, allowing more Chinese people to get to know this legendary brand.
As a double red five-star winery in Australia, Bishop's Hill was named Winery of the Year by James Halliday in 2017, and had seven Shiraz that scored 97 to 99 points in the same year. There were also three Semillons that scored over 95 points, one of which was awarded Semillon of the Year.