About

As the Gourmet Traveller New Zealand Winemaker of the Year (2020), Jen Parr’s path to both success and personal contentment has been an inspiring ride. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Jen then spent her twenties living between New York, London, São Paulo and Johannesburg, working for a tech company. It was on this global adventure that she was introduced to fine dining and good wine, and, after a slow-burning epiphany, Jen left the tech industry to apprentice with the world’s best artisan winemakers. In 2007, she settled in the mountainous region of Central Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island, where she’s been producing highly innovative, terroir-driven, skin-contact wines for award-winning Valli Vineyards.