“Sod the wine, I want to suck on the writing. This man White is an instinctive writer, bloody rare to find one who actually pulls it off, as in still gets a meaning across with concision. Sharp arbitrage of speed and risk, closest thing I can think of to Cicero’s ‘motus continuum animi.’

Probably takes a drink or two to connect like that: he literally paints his senses on the page.”

DBC Pierre (Vernon God Little, Ludmila’s Broken English, Lights Out In Wonderland)

Winner: Booker prize; Whitbread prize; Bollinger Wodehouse Everyman prize; James Joyce Award from the Literary & Historical Society of University College Dublin

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CARTOONS BY GEORGE GRAINGER ALDRIDGE

RECOMMENDED by The New York Times and The Daily Globe

... irreverent, guffaw provoking ... irresistible ... ”

ALICE FEIRING in WALL STREET JOURNAL 2ND BEST! DAMN!

“the Rimbaud of McLaren Vale … bandanna on head, standing on a table outside the Victory Hotel, shooting geology at the wine-sluggers with all the fiery conviction of a temperance preacher in the goldfields” Andrew Jefford

Just be wary of Philip White, the Charles Bukowski of Australian wine writers and for my money one of the best in the business, who recently described a wine as “a stark raving crazy transvestite musk ox with bad breath and a dirty botty” Nick Ryan Men’s Style

“forthright, opinionated, aggressive - sometimes just plain wrong” The Key Report

“Australian wine has never seen, and will never again likely see, a writer as great” Campbell Mattinson

“BONKERS!” Fiona Beckett THE GUARDIAN

“On form, Philip is Australian wine’s Kerouac, Hemingway and la Montaigne rolled into one.”

MAX ALLEN - THE AUSTRALIAN

07 November 2012

Dr RAY BECKWITH OAM DIES AT 100


Ray Beckwith, perhaps the greatest wine scientist of all time, died this afternoon in the Barossa Valley. Here he is addressing friends at his 100th birthday party, with Thelma, Max Schubert's widow at his side. Ray appointed Max Schubert to his job as chief winemaker at Penfolds Magill. 
 photo Richard Humphrys

Ray Beckwith's Langmeil Speech August 2004
Ray Beckwith's 100th Birthday speech  
Ray Beckwith: who employed Max Schubert? 


 

5 comments:

Sanjay Chhabra said...

Condolences to you, the Penfolds team and Mr Beckwith's family and friends.

Anonymous said...

Vale Ray. I had the pleasure of meeting this man twice. An amazing mind and a great winemaker. Truly one of the fathers of modern Australian Wine.
Richard Bate - Arete Wines

Anonymous said...

I am glad Ray Beckwith finally at 92 started to get the recognition he deserved, perhaps one final way of rewarding his efforts may be an award named in his honour for excellence in the field of wine science.

Well done Whitey for championing and lifting his profile for the rest of the wine community to understand the contributions made by Ray which continues to benefit us all today.
James Lindner

Scott V said...

A true gentleman of the industry.. Im sure there will be an empty seat but a full glass for him at next Friday's "Crusty's Luncheon"

Rick Burge said...

Next King of England enjoys a glass, with the missus, of arguably Australia's greatest ever red wine, the greatness of which was no doubt made possible by a humble man who passed away about the same time as Charles' libation.
Spooky!