Toby Morrhall’s farewell to South America

I met Toby in the Year 1995 in a London Wine Fair and we, in a very short period, had a very good friendship. Later I realised he had the same palate, like me, the same motivations, and we started a wonderful camaraderie. Toby is a very professional guy, very thoughtful, and of course a great buyer; always very correct and clear about prices and a man who is very difficult to forget. Toby has visited Chile many times, but he also gave me the chance to visit Burgundy (and Stevenage), and in so doing changed my life for ever. 

I met Toby in 2002 and showed him my very first wines from Leyda Valley. From the beginning we had a connection based on some characteristics on wines that we both search and prefer. I learned from Toby many, many things, being a source of relevant knowledge that helped me to become the winemaker I am now. And not only me, a lot of winemakers agree with that and also we have seen Toby’s input to the industry as a benchmark of quality and improvement. 

I was fortunate to spend many times, tastings, dinners and trips with Toby, getting to know him very well and getting to realise the great professional and better person he is. I first knew Toby as a buyer, rapidly he became a teacher and mentor, and ended up being a friend. We all will miss Toby a lot but certainly we will keep in touch to share, and probably discuss, many more bottles of wines. 

Best regards, Rafael

Dear Toby,

It´s never good to hear news like this; I have no words to describe how much I really enjoyed working with you during all this past years. As I have told you many times, I consider you the buyer who knows most about wines and about Chile in the whole world. Thank you very much for your great support throughout my career; you have been great with me and you were a very important part of the Cono Sur and my career success! I really want to wish you great success in your upcoming challenges. You only deserve the best. You are a great professional and person. Looking forward to see you next, soon, somewhere. 

Adolfo 

Dear Toby, 

When I think back on the past sixteen years, I realise that what we built goes far beyond a professional relationship. It has been a friendship shaped by vineyards, wines, long conversations, unforgettable meals and a shared curiosity to keep learning. Ever since José Guilisasti introduced us in 2010, I have learnt an enormous amount from travelling with you through Rioja, Jumilla, Jerez, Barolo, the Rhône Valley, England and Scotland. You never simply tasted wines, you always wanted to understand why they were the way they were, and you encouraged everyone around you to think more deeply. 

Some of my favourite memories are far from the tasting table: that unforgettable evening in Getaria’s Kaia-Kaipe in the Basque Country with generous colleagues who show very rare and old wines from Rioja, that extraordinary lunch at Asador Etxebarri, our legendary ‘naval battles’ over fish, king crab, sea urchins, piures and every imaginable seafood delicacy, and the many long walks where we spoke about wine, life and everything in between. One memory will always stay with me: my first visit to Burgundy, around 2012, with you and Roy Richards. For a whole week we visited growers from morning until evening, listening to their philosophies and walking through their vineyards. That trip completely changed the way I think about wine. It taught me that there are no absolute rules or dogmas, only a constant search to understand a place, its soils, its climate, its people and its history. That lesson has influenced every wine I have made since. And then there was Mull. Those wonderful days in Scotland with a group of friends, enjoying spectacular seafood, crab, beautiful meat, unforgettable bottles from your cellar and long walks along breathtaking beaches and landscapes. Those moments created memories that will stay with me forever. They remind me that the greatest wines are often remembered because of the people we shared them with. 

Throughout all these years, you never stopped being completely honest with me. You always said exactly what you thought about every wine I made. Sometimes it was difficult to hear, but it was always sincere, thoughtful and incredibly valuable. I grew as a winemaker because you never settled for ‘good enough.’ 

There is one story that makes me smile today. In more than sixteen years, you never bought one of my Cabernet Sauvignons from Los Lingues in Colchagua Valley. You always told me, ‘Toti, you have to make a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley.’ Well... this year, the year you retire, I finally released my own Alto Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon after many years searching for the right vineyard and the special terroir I had been looking for. I cannot help but think that, in some way, your voice has been with me throughout that journey. This wine is the result of patience, conviction and everything I learnt from people like you. 

Toby, thank you for your friendship, your honesty, your generosity and your curiosity. Thank you for helping me become not only a better winemaker, but also a better observer, listener and student of wine. I have no doubt that our friendship will continue, and I look forward to sharing many more bottles, memorable meals and long conversations together.  

With my deepest gratitude and friendship, 

Cristobal ‘Toti’ Undurraga 

To write or comment about one of the best wine buyers that I have ever known is certainly really easy. What will be much more difficult is imagining next July without his visit! Yes, every July, coinciding with the coolest days in Mendoza, I have had the pleasure of welcoming Toby for the past 17 or perhaps even 20 years. 

What a pleasure it has been to receive him. His ability as a wine taster was impressive for me! And what a memory he has! As a taster, he has always been incredibly consistent and assured. He never asked about wine awards o journalists' notes. He was so confident in his own palate that he didn’t need to know others' opinions. He remembered his wines impressions after a year and that always shocked me because I know he tasted a lot of wine in so many different countries. 

I will never forget his comments about the first Semillon I made at Mendel. I showed him this wine four months after harvest and still from the tank. It was still on its lees, so it was fresh and somewhat cloudy, but wonderfully aromatic. Toby was so impressed by it that he encouraged me to release the Semillon. We did, and the wine went on to become a great success for us 

Toby has always been an outstanding professional buyer for The Wine Society because, above all, he chose wines that he genuinely believed would be interesting for its partners. 

I will greatly miss his visits, and our conversations about wines, vintages and many mutual friends around the world. 

I wish him a wonderful retirement, filled with good readings and great wines! 

Roberto de la Mota 

Querido Toby! Best wine taster I've ever dealt with! I have learned a lot from you, too. Enjoy a very well-earned retirement. Wish you all the best and count on me for whatever I can be of help with. Thank you for your advice. Saludos and SALUD!!! 🍷🍷🍷 

Dear Toby,  

It was such a pleasure and an honour to share our last 'tango' in Mendoza. You will be dearly missed, although we know you leave a wonderful successor to follow in your steps.  

I share my thoughts of you below: 

Toby holds a highly significant place in my winemaking career. Since our initial meeting in 1996, the year our friendship was forged, he became a fundamental source of inspiration for founding my own company. Throughout all these years, we have shared unforgettable moments dedicated to crafting blends and engaging in profound dialogue about the passion that unites us: the art of winemaking. 

We wish you all the very best for this new stage in your life.  

Abrazo enorme! 

I have been very emotional since Toby called me early this year to announce he was retiring. One of my favourite memories of Toby goes back to the early 2000s, when he travelled through Patagonia in the south of Argentina with my father, Don Bernardo. They drove together in a Renault Twingo, which still makes me laugh. Toby is not exactly a small man, and to this day I do not fully understand how he managed to fit inside that car for such a long journey. 

That trip also included the famous asados de lomo of Don López back in Mendoza, which Toby has remembered and shared with me many times. My father would always judge them very seriously, but no matter how amazingly good they were, the highest score was always 9.5. A perfect 10 was simply never given. 

At that time, I was still very young and far from imagining that, around fifteen years later, Toby and I would begin developing projects together. I stepped into the business in 2002 as a young and rather naïve second generation, and Toby gave me honesty, support and the confidence to grow into my role.  

Among the projects we developed, seeing a Weinert wine selected as one of The Wine Society’s 150th Anniversary wines was a very special moment and a source of enormous pride for all of us. [You can read more about how that wine came about here.] 

These stories capture Toby very well: his sense of humour, his spirit of adventure and the very personal relationship he built with my father, my family and with our team. They are memories that will always make me smile.  

Kind regards, 

Iduna 

Dearest Toby! 

Our ‘Big’ friend Toby Morrhall, now retiring from active duty, has been coming to Uruguay during the last 20 years to source Tannat wines from the Pisano Family. Every July or August, Toby is the most expected visit. Year after year, he has selected la crème de la crème of our Tannats and occasionally other grapes, for The Wine Society members, always being a faithful negotiator between the interest of us producers and the benefit for the wine consumer. 

‘Passion before Profit’ is a remarkable statement that embodies The Wine Society. Through the years, we have come to confirm and reconfirm that it is totally genuine and true! 

For sure Toby is the best taster and blender we have ever known, and he knows more about Pisano wines than us Pisanos do. It has always been a very moving experience to contemplate Toby creating wines together with our winemakers Gustavo and Gabriel Pisano, as when musicians look at each other coordinating while performing like in a musical dialogue. 

During his last professional visit on 24th July 2026, we all put our hearts on top of the tasting table, confirming each other that we have always enjoyed Old School opportunities of deleting the boundaries between business and true friendship: Passion before profit! 

HUGE Thanks for so many years of highly enjoyable wine sessions and sharing with us your vast wine knowledge! 

Long live Sir Toby Morrhall!!! 

Warm regards from wet & cold Uruguay! 

With much respect and admiration, The Pisano Family, Uruguay 

Thierry's tribute

Toby, looking back over the past 27 years, it is quite remarkable how our business relationship has grown into a true friendship. We have shared many great moments together, and your last visit felt a little nostalgic for us, knowing that you are moving on to a new chapter. I sincerely hope that, regardless of where life takes us, we will continue to stay in touch and see each other from time to time.  Secondly, it was great to meet Harriet and welcome her to our little winery, especially during that unforgettable day of torrential rain, without electricity, enjoying our cold lunch!  And it is still raining every second day or so. I can assure you it looks much better when it is a nice sunny day! 

Thank you again Toby for your friendship and support over all these years. It has truly meant a great deal to us, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with The Wine Society through Harriet for many years to come. 

Warm regards, Thierry

Eugenio's tribute

Dear Toby, I would like to wish you all the best in this new stage. Continue enjoying every moment! Thank you for all the conversations and the wine knowledge I got from you. I’m sharing a photo of our memorable trip to the Isle of Mull with you! Cheers! Eugenio

Reinaldo De Lucca's tribute

Mr. Toby is highly knowledgeable about wines from the world's various wine-growing regions. He appreciates the work that goes into the vineyard and understands the importance of grape quality. I would like to add how significant Toby has been to me; I have learned a great deal from him – especially regarding consumer preferences and maintaining wine quality. But above all – and most importantly – Toby is a good person and a true gentleman. 

I learnt a great deal during our handover trip in July this year. Over these last 30 years, Toby has acted as much as a consultant as he has a buyer. With his expertise in Burgundy and his technical background and razor-sharp palate, he has both guided and challenged producers, often getting involved far beyond the traditional role of a buyer.

Through tasting and blending exclusive wines, often with access to the very best barrels, Toby built an extraordinary level of trust and friendship with the winemakers. Many would anticipate his visit as one of the most important of their year, occasionally joking that he knew the region better than they did. He was never afraid to challenge his partners on their approach, decisions or ambition.

His influence went far beyond what made it into The Wine Society’s range. For example, he can be credited directly with changing the way Chile made Chardonnay, bringing a more Burgundian, less reductive approach and he championed terroir-driven sites, as well as encouraging producers to explore lesser-known varieties and old vines, consistently pushing for more ambitious, site-specific wines.

The handover trip was nothing short of emotional, and it was plain to see just how much Toby has impacted the lives, vineyards and winemaking of so many people. It’s an honour to take forward the range he has built, and to continue his quest to bring excellent quality and diversity from these magnificent winemaking countries. My aim is not to replicate what Toby has done, but to build on it, preserving the relationships, while continuing to look for new and exciting wines for members.

Harriet Kininmonth
Buyer