Schubert, Max Edmund

▪ 1995

      Australian enologist (b. Feb. 9, 1915, Moculta, near Adelaide, Australia—d. March 6?, 1994, Adelaide), created Grange Hermitage, Australia's most internationally acclaimed red wine, and almost single-handedly changed the standard for the nation's wine industry. In 1930 Schubert took a menial job with the Penfolds winery, which followed the Australian tradition, producing mainly sweet sherry and port. He studied enology at night, was made an assistant winemaker in 1940, and was promoted to senior winemaker in 1947. While on a tour to study European winemaking techniques in 1950, he realized that the Shiraz, or Syrah, grape could be used to create an Australian claret similar to the great red Bordeaux and Rhône wines. Schubert's first attempts, aged in new American oak casks, were pronounced a dismal failure, and he was ordered to cease production. He persevered in secret, however, and his faith was rewarded when the 1955 vintage won a gold medal at the 1962 Sydney Wine Show. By 1994 Australian premium table wines were respected around the world, a bottle of the most recent vintage of Grange Hermitage was selling for around $A 100, and the previously much-maligned early vintages were commanding thousands of dollars a bottle. Schubert was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1984.

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