Max Lake
Encyclopedia
Max Emory Lake, OAM
(24 July 1924 – 14 April 2009) was an Australia
n winemaker and surgeon, who is generally regarded as the "father of the Australian boutique wine industry".
, in upstate
New York in the United States
, where his parents, David and Hannah, worked in the film industry. He had a sister and three brothers. His family moved to Sydney
where his father ran the Australian division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. Lake went to Bellevue Hill
Public School and then Sydney Boys' High School.
He studied medicine at the University of Sydney
, where he met another medical student, Joy Townsend. They married in 1948. Max and Joy had twins, David and Paula, who were born in Brisbane
in 1950, and Stephen, born in Sydney in 1955. Lake studied surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons
in England in the early 1950s and went on to become the first Australian surgeon to specialise in hand surgery
. He gave up his work as a surgeon in 1979 to concentrate on his interest in wine and food.
Lake died on 14 April 2009, aged 84, at his home in Longueville
on Sydney
's Lower North Shore, after sustaining a head injury from a fall
.
in New South Wales
considered to be Australia's first boutique winery and a major influence on the Australian wine industry. In 1988, The Bulletin
magazine called Lake "the man who started the (Australian) wine boom".
His wife and son, Stephen, were active in the winery. Stephen said that "Dad was the boss, Mum the brains and I was the brawn".
In addition to making wine, Lake wrote widely on wine and food. In 1966, he published the landmark book Classic Wines of Australia, followed by several other books about wine including Hunter Wine, Scents and Sensuality and Food on the Plate, Wine in the Glass. Many of these books relate to his third career as a "flavourolgist", his description of his "attempt to understand how taste, smell and flavour shaped humanity". Flavour and pleasure were two guiding principles in his life.
In the 2002 Australia Day Honours, Lake was awarded the Order of Australia Medal
for service to the establishment of the boutique wine industry in Australia as a winemaker, judge, promoter and author.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(24 July 1924 – 14 April 2009) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n winemaker and surgeon, who is generally regarded as the "father of the Australian boutique wine industry".
Life
Lake was born in 1924 in AlbanyAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, in upstate
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
New York in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where his parents, David and Hannah, worked in the film industry. He had a sister and three brothers. His family moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
where his father ran the Australian division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. Lake went to Bellevue Hill
Bellevue Hill
Bellevue Hill may refer to:*Bellevue Hill, New South Wales*Bellevue Hill, Boston, the highest point in the city of Boston....
Public School and then Sydney Boys' High School.
He studied medicine at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, where he met another medical student, Joy Townsend. They married in 1948. Max and Joy had twins, David and Paula, who were born in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 1950, and Stephen, born in Sydney in 1955. Lake studied surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in England in the early 1950s and went on to become the first Australian surgeon to specialise in hand surgery
Hand surgery
The field of hand surgery deals with both surgical and non-surgical treatment of conditions and problems that may take place in the hand or upper extremity including injury and infection. Hand surgery may be practiced by graduates of general surgery, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery...
. He gave up his work as a surgeon in 1979 to concentrate on his interest in wine and food.
Lake died on 14 April 2009, aged 84, at his home in Longueville
Longueville, New South Wales
Longueville is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Longueville is located 8 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Lane Cove....
on Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Lower North Shore, after sustaining a head injury from a fall
Falling (accident)
Falling is a major cause of personal injury, especially for the elderly. Builders, electricians, miners, and painters represent worker categories representing high rates of fall injuries. The WHO estimate that 392,000 people die in falls every year...
.
Winemaker
In 1963, Lake founded Lake's Folly, a winery in the Hunter ValleyHunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
considered to be Australia's first boutique winery and a major influence on the Australian wine industry. In 1988, The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
magazine called Lake "the man who started the (Australian) wine boom".
His wife and son, Stephen, were active in the winery. Stephen said that "Dad was the boss, Mum the brains and I was the brawn".
In addition to making wine, Lake wrote widely on wine and food. In 1966, he published the landmark book Classic Wines of Australia, followed by several other books about wine including Hunter Wine, Scents and Sensuality and Food on the Plate, Wine in the Glass. Many of these books relate to his third career as a "flavourolgist", his description of his "attempt to understand how taste, smell and flavour shaped humanity". Flavour and pleasure were two guiding principles in his life.
In the 2002 Australia Day Honours, Lake was awarded the Order of Australia Medal
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for service to the establishment of the boutique wine industry in Australia as a winemaker, judge, promoter and author.