Max Schubert was a pioneering Australian winemaker that is most famous for the Penfolds Grange wines that are highly prized around the world.

Schubert grew up in the wine growing region of the Barossa Valley and went to work at the Penfolds winery as soon as he finished school. His first job in 1930s was as a messenger boy and farmhand, doing whatever odd jobs needed doing around the winery.

His dedication to the job was recognized by the likes of Leslie Penfold-Hyland and the young Schubert moved up the ladder, becoming manager and winemaker at Magill.

Max Schubert traveled to Europe in 1950 to learn how to make wine as good as the reds that were coming out of Bordeaux in France. Schubert learned much from the respected winemaker Monsieur Christian Cruse and soon brought that knowledge back to Australia.

"I was fortunate to be taken under the wing of Monsieur Christian Cruse, one of the most respected and highly qualified wine men of the old school of France at that time, and he afforded me, among other things, the rare opportunity of tasting and evaluating Bordeaux wines between forty and fifty years old which were still sound and possessed magnificent bouquet and flavor." Max Schubert

The first experimental Grange was produced in 1951 and was much criticized. Just 160 cases of the wine was produced and it was not released commercially. The first bottles of Penfolds 1951 Grange now fetch many thousands of dollars at wine auctions around the world.

Schubert continued to experiment and ignored the harsh criticism that he received from friends, colleagues and even the Penfolds company. He ignored the company's request to stop producing Grange Hermitage as he believed in what he was doing. One of the few supported of what Schubert was doing at the time was Jeffrey Penfold-Hyland.

The innovative winemaker soon perfected his methods and slowly won the support of critics. Penfolds Grange went to win countless awards and become one of the world's finest wines.

"As the earlier vintages matured in bottle and progressively became less aggressive and more refined, people generally began to take notice, and whereas previously it had been all condemnation, I was now at least receiving some praise for the wine." Max Schubert

It was called "Penfolds Grange Hermitage" up until 1989, when the wine was simply called "Penfolds Grange". Syrah or Shiraz was referred to as Hermitage in Australia at the time.

The official Penfolds website biography of Max Schubert also credit the Australian master winemaker with "innovations such as the use of plastics, refrigeration, pH control and cold stabilization of white wines have also had effect on the wider winemaking community."

Max Schubert received many awards for his services to the Australian winemaking industry, including the Member of the Order of Australia (AM), but it was the outstanding wines that he produced that received more awards and acclaim.

Schubert died at his home in Adelaide in 1994 at the age of 79.

Read Max Schubert Quotes and Sayings