Meet your buyer | Tully Mauritzen

It takes a special kind of person to be a Mofo Wine Buyer. Someone with the palate to pick out the wines you’ll love from an ocean of options, and who’s looped in with the producers you need-to-know from Oregon to Central Otago, Barossa to Burgundy. Tully’s that person; originally a gun member of our dealer team who became a buyer back in Feb '22. Get to know her below.

It's a pretty big thought that every day around Australia someone drinks something that I've chosen to put my weight behind; and I don't take that responsibility lightly.

What I love about the job: Everyone thinks the answer to this question is getting to drink wine all the time, and while that's a pretty awesome perk, my favourite part of this job is the people. The wine industry is full of inspirational, hard working figures and getting to know them and their work is a joy every single day. Wine would be a very boring product if it weren't for the diverse personalities who make it interesting behind the scenes. It's a real pleasure to call the producers I work with friends, and know that every case of wine bought supports these phenomenal people.

What makes a wine good enough for the ‘fo: Wine that people are going to love receiving on their doorstep. If it doesn't inspire me in some way, then it's probably a no. I want to be excited to send every wine to a customers home. I want it to be something I would share with friends and family. It's a pretty big thought that every day around Australia someone drinks something that I've chosen to put my weight behind; and I don't take that responsibility lightly.

The wine would I would love to see at Vinomofo: Honestly, I'm a huge fan of sherry and table wines that take inspiration from this style. There's some incredible Aussie producers heralding the revolution of these wines and I think that the skill to create something that strikes the perfect balance is admirable. Who knows... if we see enough demand then anything is possible!

At the end of the day, some of the best wines I've tried or bought have been ones that were a product of some very big risk-taking, and I applaud the people that put themselves on the line like that.

How we get a fair deal for producers: The wine business is a pretty tough game. People are constantly taking risks, making guesses and putting themselves on the line just to get a product into the bottle. That risk doesn't always pay off, or go quite how people want it to go- and that's where we can help relieve pressure. We help people to find good homes for good wine, or and allow smaller businesses to take more risks. At the end of the day, some of the best wines I've tried or bought have been ones that were a product of some very big risk-taking, and I applaud the people that put themselves on the line like that. Everyone is always happy in the end, and I won't do a deal if I don't think everyone is getting their fair share.

The favourite wine I've bought for Vinomofo: Oof. There are honestly so many that I have loved. I would have to say that crown probably goes across the seas to Herència Altés 'La Pilosa' Garnatxa 2019. A jaw droppingly beautiful example of grenache from Terra Alta on Spain's east coast. Influenced heavily by an incredible visit that I had to the winery - this wine will always be special to me.

The first wine I got drunk on: Ah, how the visceral taste of Yellow Tail Moscato comes to mind. I think I would have gotten my change back from a $5er, too.

Tully and our buying team source all the wines at the ‘fo, but pssst... here’s what they’re recommending as the pick of the bunch. See our staff picks.