Leigh Teece
Co-Founder, Owner
United States & New Zealand
Inspired by the beauty of New Zealand and its stunning wines, Leigh and David Teece founded Mt. Beautiful Wines in the North Canterbury region of New Zealand in 2004. Rather than settling in one of North Canterbury’s proven wine growing areas, the Teeces pioneered a previously undiscovered area of the region - the picturesque district of Cheviot Hills. Here they built one of New Zealand’s rising star wineries.
After earning first class honors in the subject at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, David Teece moved to the United States where he completed his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being the Tusher professor of global business at the University of California Berkeley, David is a founder of the well-respected Berkeley Research Group LLC.
Leigh Teece is quite accomplished as well, having graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the highly-acclaimed Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and cum laude with a Bachelors Degree in International Relations from her father's alma mater, the University of Southern California. Leigh is a native Californian who grew up working in a real estate family in Southern California, followed by educational research in Michigan, international banking in San Francisco and venture capital in Silicon Valley. While raising four children, Leigh branched into mentoring, innovation and advising.
Needless to say, Leigh and David have been very successful in their various endeavors, so when they decided to start a winery in New Zealand, there was no question it would be something spectacular. Building the family winery was Leigh’s idea. She longed to participate in the artistic culture of New Zealand that embraces the vibrant wine industry, and she was inspired by the beauty of her family's new, second homeland. Entrepreneurs at heart and not wanting to follow in others’ footsteps, they brought together a team of experts and charged them with finding a new sub-region capable of producing premium wines. They decided that North Canterbury on New Zealand's South Island provided the ideal terroir.
The Cheviot Hills wine region of North Canterbury was thus born. Under the guidance of consulting viticulturist Murray Paterson and geologist Ron Sutherland, the first vines planted in 2004 were Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. The Teeces named their vineyard Mt. Beautiful after a remarkable nearby landmark and the new family business was on its way. Honored in the design of the labels for Mt. Beautiful was David’s father, Allan Teece, who served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in North Africa, Palestine and Italy from 1940 to 1945. The meticulous handwritten letters that Allan sent home during those precarious years served as the inspiration for the label and the lettering for ‘Mt. Beautiful’ was crafted from his precious, well-preserved letters. The first vintage of Mt. Beautiful fruit was harvested in 2007.
Mt. Beautiful's first vintage was released in September of 2008. The public immediately knew they had something special. Being the first of its kind in a new wine region, Mt. Beautiful realized a competitive edge on other New Zealand wines as they were honored country-wide. Much of the credit can be given to the exceptional team Leigh and David assembled to be the force behind the Mt. Beautiful brand. When they embarked on this new journey, the Teeces put together a group of local experts in every field needed and their efforts have paid off. From their veteran winemaker Sam Weaver and his son, Ben, to internationally recognized vineyard management, the quality of Mt. Beautiful’s wine and its team was as good as it gets.
Mt. Beautiful's quality is reflected in the beauty and character of the vineyard. Respect for the land and local community are of utmost importance at Mt. Beautiful. It is a paramount goal to achieve a sustainable functioning landscape that can be enjoyed and utilized for generations to come. All the ingredients continue to manifest at Mt. Beautiful, and no where is it more prevalent than in its consistent releases of award-winning, highly rated wines. It goes without saying that Mt. Beautiful wines, now sold in 40 states in the U.S. and several countries globally, have a glowing future around the world.
Erin Harrison
Business Operations Manager - NZ
Erin’s role at Mt. beautiful is varied and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She brings a broad range of skills and knowledge gained from working and living in New Zealand, Canada and Australia. On a given day she might be project managing the build of our luxury lodge, holed up in the office processing payroll, leading a quad tour over Mt. Beautiful or on a flight across the globe to interview a new importer or represent Mt. Beautiful at a wine tasting.
Fourth generation born and raised on the family farm in Cheviot, Erin has "come home" to Mt. Beautiful and found a wonderful fit between her work experience and passion for the area she grew up in.
After attaining a Commerce Degree in IT Management, Erin joined ANZ Bank where she was involved in project management as ANZ Bank merged with National Bank. The lure of travel saw Erin’s move to BC, Canada for a snowboarding season followed by adventures in Central America and a few months in San Francisco. Erin then lived in Queenstown and Perth Australia, gaining work experience in insurance, accounting, business analysis, event management, human resources, sales, sustainable energy and assisting a busy international entrepreneur on a daily basis.
This "Jack of all Trades" is now settled back in her homeland and spends any spare time dreaming of powder days and enjoying a cheeky Pinot Noir.
Cori Curtola Gormley
Business Operations Manager - US
Cori started with Mt. Beautiful USA in January 2011. She is a Bay Area native and her 30 year background in accounting includes work in the construction, healthcare, property management, and pharmaceutical industries.
She also spent a few years as the assistant to the Finance Director at Marine World Africa USA, now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. In the 10 years prior to joining Mt. Beautiful USA, Cori started and operated a number of businesses including a Paint-Your-Own Pottery studio, a foil imprinting business, and a private bookkeeping service.
Cori is an avid sports fan. If she's not at the office, you will most likely find her at a ball field!
Tiffany Tonnerre - Western Sales Manager - US
Tiffany’s 20+ years in the food and beverage industry started when she was 16 and accepted a position as a server at a restaurant. She worked her way up quickly to Bartender and later secured the role of Northwest Regional Manager for Champagne Laurent-Perrier for just shy of 12 years. She later took on the role of Fine Wine Key Account Specialist with Southern Wine & Spirits. In early 2017 Tiffany joined the Mt. Beautiful team eager to build the Mt. Beautiful brand at all her top accounts in all her markets.
A fun fact and professional accomplishment of Tiffany’s outside the wine industry is that she travelled the world as a fashion model for close to 20 twenty years. Born and raised in Northern California, Tiffany did enjoy 10 years living in the beautiful Northwest, Seattle and Vancouver specifically, where she fell in love with the mountains and skiing.
When she is not working, you can find her spending time with her amazing son Zach, catching a baseball game, sailing on the San Francisco Bay or hanging at the beach with friends. She also loves hiking in Marin County and taking long walks along the water in Tiburon where she lives.
Suzanna Mannion - Marketing Manager - US
TSuzanna joined the dynamic Mt. Beautiful team in early 2016 to help grow the brand and tell its story. She brings over 15 years’ combined sales and marketing experience. Her diverse skill set includes photography, editing, ecommerce, project and website management, email marketing, public relations and graphic design – all which come together to complement her role at Mt. Beautiful.
Previously Suzanna served as the Direct-to-Consumer Marketing Manager for Cuvaison Estate Wines in Napa Valley and prior to the wine industry Suzanna was the Sales Manager at a North Bay BMW and Triumph motorcycle dealership. It was there that she exercised her love for riding motorcycles on some of the best bikes ever made and where she met a diverse range of spirited humans and got involved in the adventure riding community.
After completing her Bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University, Suzanna seized the opportunity to live in different areas of California including a memorable summer working for the California State Parks in Big Sur, California.
When she’s not behind her computer you will likely find her behind her camera (as photography is a deep passion of hers), hiking local trails with her pup, or spending quality time with her husband and young daughter.
Caitlin Manning -Eastern US Sales & National Accounts Manager - US
Caitlin brings 19 years' wine industry experience to her role as Eastern US Sales Manager at Mt. Beautiful USA. She grew up in New England, spent some time living in Los Angeles, and has been residing in New York City for the past seven years. Most recently, Caitlin was Eastern Sales Manager with a focus on National accounts, at Milbrandt Vineyards. She managed the sales in 22 Eastern states as well as oversaw and managed the Midwest territory, collaborating with San Francisco Wine Exchange and distributor partners, to increase brand awareness and implement sales strategies to continue the growth of the brand.
Prior to Milbrandt Vineyards, Caitlin was National Sales & Marketing Manager for Grupo Matarromera. She opened up the US subsidiary and placed Matarromera's seven wineries into 22 states in three years. She implemented a multiple brand strategy, targeted several sales channels, closed important operations with large key accounts and built a solid client base across the country.
Caitlin also worked for Levendi and Long Meadow Ranch winery in Napa Valley. She is very familiar with the three-tier system. Before she switched to the supplier side, she was a Sales Rep for a boutique wine distributor and spent several years working in fine dining restaurants in Martha’s Vineyard, New Hampshire and Maine. When she is not working, Caitlin loves cooking and spending time with her husband and two daughters, Elizabeth and Avery.