Mary Tuuri Derby is the Winemaker and Founder of DAMA Wines. A number of life experiences led Mary, a classically trained opera singer from Minnesota, to found the winery in 2007. She describes herself as “an artist, idealist, and dreamer—a magician who feels she can pull something positive out of nothing.”

Mary also excels at collaboration. For example, she partnered with Kathryn Elsesser to produce the 2017 Walla Walla Women of Wine calendar, which features black and white portraits of notable women in the Walla Walla wine industry.

DaMa, which has a particularly lovely tasting room, has received many awards and accolades, including from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and Wine Press Northwest. Our tasting several years ago included some of her most noted wines: the DaMa Cabernet Sauvignon, DaMa Grenache, and the DAMAnation GSM, a mouth-filling blend of Grenache, Mouvedre, and Syrah. We especially admired the Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache.