Meet your dealer: Josh Mellsop
Josh grew up in rural South Auckland and, as one of our resident Kiwis, it made sense for him to look after our New Zealand mofos exclusively as a Mofo Wine Dealer. With a wealth of tasting knowledge and even a winemaking background, there’s a reason he got picked.
"Initially I studied International Relations and German," says Josh. "But I learned the basics at a summer school class in 'Wine Tourism' – which was literally just a class to drink wine – and it ignited a passion in me.
"Drinking your favourite wines gives you a sense of nostalgia that nothing else can match," says Josh.
"Wine brings people together, it tastes amazing and you have a different experience each time you crack a bottle. How far I've come since my first sip of sweet Old Coach Road Gewürztraminer in Dunedin..."
After summer school, Josh proceeded to polish off his WSET levels 2 and 3, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology. He even writes for Vinofiles in his downtime (no doubt with a glass of good vino). And if you're a Kiwi, now you're lucky enough to have him as your dedicated Mofo Wine Dealer.
"The best part of being a Wine Dealer is definitely talking to people who love wine as much as I do," says Josh, "and helping people get out of their comfort zone to try something new and exciting.
"I wish people knew that as Wine Dealers, we don’t make commission, so we aren’t incentivised by money to sell wine. We are incentivised by helping our customers get wines that they will love.
"People think it's mostly wine geeks we talk to, but the majority are just people looking for the best tasting wine they can get."
And that's another part of the job that Josh doesn't hate, evidently.
"We taste everything - the premium stuff dreams are made of and the everyday quaffers. We taste hundreds and hundreds of wines. Then we chat to our mofos about what they love and find them wines they’re gonna love.
"Pairing wines to our people," Josh says with a wry smile.
Of course, being a Kiwi in Australia, Josh definitely think everyone needs to drink more New Zealand wine.
"It’s not just sauvignon blanc and pinot noir," he implores. "Hawke’s Bay syrah and Bordeaux blends, Waipara riesling, Central Otago aromatics, Auckland chardonnay... there are so many different varieties and expressions from New Zealand, but they’re just so hard to find over here."
"Personally, I’m still a big fan of pinot noir," says Josh. "It would probably be my go-to. Reds in general, however – even in the middle of a heatwave – are fine by me. I love a good chardy and riesling as well. I have far too much stockpiled in my garage, as well as back home!"
With avid proponents like Josh in the mix, it won't be long before we see even more good Kiwi wine flooding across the Tasman into Australia. And if it's half as good as Josh claims it is, we'll have a proper rivalry on our hands – over who gets that last bottle of Waipara pinot!
No personal Wine Dealer yet? Get in touch and we'll sort you out so you can really start your mofo journey.