Gabrielle’s profound appreciation for the arts, culture, and travel began during her high school exchange year in France. At fifteen years-old landing on the other side of the world, not knowing a soul, or a lick of French; she uncovered a way of life within herself that she continues to embody in her professional wine career: Guided by curiosity, grounded in wonder, and fueled by a lifelong love of learning.

As a young server, selling wine was naturally daunting. The vastness of offerings, the wordiness of labels and languages to which she had no reference, the bizarre and seemingly ‘made-up’ tasting notes, and the sense of pretension that she was often met with from customers. However, when Gabrielle landed a serving job at a winery in New Zealand while backpacking throughout the world, she became determined to learn and uncover a greater sense of confidence in wine.

Little did she know this would ignite an adventurous lust for the infinite layers of knowledge entwined with this ancient beverage. To her delight, Gabrielle discovered that through studying wine she could travel around the world through regional expressions tied to the full sensory experience that unfolds from her glass. Geography, topography, language, history, geology, meteorology, anthropology, sociology, agriculture, biodynamics, marketing, economics, and more— to study wine is to study the interconnectedness of it all.

This sense of learning and discovery propelled her through years of work and study in the wine industry. Ultimately, delivering her to achieving the esteemed expert-level WSET Diploma of Wine and applying her knowledge in wineries and restaurants. From creating wine-centric events, curating a rotating 80+ label wine list, running multiple wine clubs, empowering and leading teams, and heading business operations for restaurants and wineries.

As her professional career grew so did her personal approach to wine. The deeper her understanding of the industry, the more she uncovered aspects that did not resonate. Outdated approaches, narrowminded narratives, gatekeeping information, and an underlying competition to know it all. She discovered the industry to be riddled with segregation, control, and hierarchy.

With The Wild Vine, Gabrielle inspires a new vision for the wine industry. A vision that brings us back to the roots. To simply be witness to the abundance of Mother Earth and the beauty of human creation and transformation from seed to glass. To revel in the unknowing and delight in the process of discovery. To encourage conversation for the exploration of interconnection.