Jade Gross has a diverse and intriguing journey into wine, a polymath seeking her highest sense of purpose. A degree in politics and international relations in New York led to a Masters in human rights in London and work experiences at the International Criminal Court. Realising she “wasn’t going to change the world this way”, she made a dramatic change to Paris to study cookery with a James Beard Scholarship, showing her prodigious talents of mind and heart. She has worked in some of the great kitchens of Europe – Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, D.O.M in Sau Paulo, El Cellar di Can Roca in Girona, and finally Mugaritz, where she steadily climbed the ranks all the way from intern to Head Chef, and then leading their R&D kitchen, all before the age of 26.

Feeling that she had accomplished as much as she could in the world of cuisine, and wanting more of a challenge, she set off on a new adventure. Befriending local winemakers in Rioja (including Abel Mendoza and his wife Maite Fernandez) and falling in love with the region, she settled in the small Spanish town of San Vincente de la Sonsierra, a tongue of land in Rioja Alta nestled in between the two parts of Rioja Alavesa, just a few kms east and north of Haro and Briones, respectively. Her cellar is just outside the village, a short walk from Abel’s own winery, and their influence on each other's ideas and styles is surely ongoing.