Hunter Valley winery Mount Pleasant has re-opened its newly renovated and re-imagined cellar door and vineyard estate and also launched an updated look for its wine labels.

With a renewed focus on the legacy of founder Maurice O’Shea, Mount Pleasant will offer wine tasting experiences which are enhanced by the considered design choices and food offerings.

The understated and honest simplicity of the new Mount Pleasant labels, designed by Denomination, also reflects the hands-off elegance of the wines and the humbleness of O’Shea.

The cellar door has been reoriented to maximise the vineyard views to the north and offers an expanded tasting area, a private tasting room, a separate members’ lounge in the adjacent barn and a bottle shop described as “a Disneyland for wine lovers”.

The bottle shop houses some of Mount Pleasant’s oldest and most significant wines, where aficionados can purchase rare museum bottles, including the last vintage made by Maurice O’Shea in 1956.  The property was acquired by Medich Family Office in 2021, who have invested in all areas of the business from the vineyards to the winery, the new branding, and the significant refurbishment of the cellar door.

Designed by award-winning architects and interior designers, Luchetti Krelle, and set within the original homestead buildings, the space boasts a significant art collection, including works by Bill Henson, Tracey Moffatt and Garry Shead. The new cellar door is emblematic of Maurice O’Shea’s passion for art and culture, and good hospitality. 

The wine experiences curated by chief winemaker, Adrian Sparks, informed newly appointed head chef Kyle Whitbourne who, in collaboration with renowned chef Justin North from Concept Hospitality, has focused on locally sourced produce to curate a collection of smaller dishes designed to share. The Mediterranean inspired dishes are the perfect accompaniment to wine tastings, or simply enjoyed with a bottle of your choosing. For instance, bigger shiraz styles are enhanced by the wild boar and fennel salami that has an incredible depth of flavour.

Chief winemaker Adrian Sparks said: “Maurice O’Shea and Phil Ryan were winemakers who changed the dynamic of the Hunter Valley. To be given an opportunity to follow in their footsteps, to walk those same vineyards, and to have a hand in designing new wine experiences and debut exciting ventures like the cellar door is thrilling.” 

Mount Pleasant has elevated its wine tasting experience to showcase its four historic vineyard sites and their corresponding wine. Visitors can choose from one of five themed tastings, including the Mount Pleasant Experience, which celebrates the history, evolution and diversity of Mount Pleasant’s unique vineyard sites; the Maurice O’Shea Flight, highlighting four of the best vintages of Mount Pleasant’s flagship Shiraz; and the Lovedale Semillon Flight, showcasing the fruit from one of the greatest Semillon vineyards in the world and the ageing transformation of bottled wine.

A visual focal point of the wine tasting experiences are the artworks in the space, which include newly acquired pieces by renowned Australian artist Garry Shead, a nephew of O’Shea, who was a regular visitor to Mount Pleasant as a child. His ethereal series “Love on Mount Pleasant”, displayed in the private O’Shea tasting room, are recollections from his childhood visits

Designer Rachel Luchetti said: “We have reimagined the historical Australian homestead in an authentic, contemporary way. Showcasing wine is at the heart of the endeavour, from the arresting display in the wine store through to the cellar door where an impressive overscale blackbutt and zinc counter is a staging area for the winemaker to share his craft. The experience is pure, stripped back and focused.”

Mount Pleasant will host a launch event for the new cellar door on Saturday July 30 from 12-4pm. Open to the public, tickets cost $300 and will include canapes on arrival, a four-course menu with paired wines, live entertainment, and a winery tour. 

Neil McGuigan named a Living Hunter Valley Legend