ALEX DAVIES
& JAMES OPIE

ABOUT JAMES

Everyone we host at Roses is almost always connected in some way to someone else we have hosted - be that in the kitchen or as a customer. James & Alex are no exception. 

We met James a few years back when we went down to Omihi to shoot some photos for his wine label Bryterlater. We all got on merrily, with Karl and James bonding immediately over a shared love for Steinlarger. Earlier in the year we went back to Omihi to shoot again - but this time to capture James & Liv’s wedding. 

James is Australian (very Australian). James grew up with things always growing around him. His mum always had a thriving vege patch and growing their own food where possible was simply a part of his upbringing. In his early 20s, he was in Bendingo working in restaurants and surrounded by lots of friends working on farms. James always felt he was going to be a viticulturist with that green thumb deep in his bones. 

James went on to do his first vintage in Australia at a family friend's vineyard. Following that, he decided he needed to really make sure wine was where we wanted to go and so he hit Europe where he completed two vintages in France and Germany which we got to - via bike. Confident he was chasing the right path he ventured back to the Antipodean world for some official wine education and ended up at Lincoln in Christchurch. 

James’s intention was to start his studies in Aotearoa and then scoot back to Australia but he fell in love with the Waipara region and the rest is history. During his time at Lincoln, he worked for Black Estate and also at Shop 8 where he met one of his work husbands - and our guest chef Alex Davies, of Gatherings.

At the end of his degree, James met his wife, Liv. Knowing she was going to be the one, he figured he could probably boost off for a year to do an ambitious four vintage seasons in one year tour. No small feat. The tour saw James through Tasmania, the south of France, the UK and then Malborough. On his return, he moved to Auckland to be with Liv and didn’t a stint at Villa Maria but it just wasn’t quite his cuppa tea so they headed off back to the South Island. Since then James has worked at a bunch of reputable Canterbury vineyards before creating his own label Bryterlater.

The nice thing about getting to work with winemakers (especially those producing low-intervention small runs) is that you learn there really is a hell of a lot of thought that goes into these bottles. 

Wine is often talked about in terms of technique, how the grapes and grown, and what you then do to them to create xyz taste. Although James does have a formal understanding of viticultural (and one he feels is useful to have) he isn’t obsessing over which process and technique to apply and instead finding ways to encapsulate what the land is producing (which is different every year and every season). When wine is made in the way that James is making it - gently and in response to the unique qualities of what each vintage produces, naturally - the wine that is created is authentically an expression of the land, and James’s expression of the past.

James talks about making wine, in the same way lots of artists think about making art. There is a formal knowledge backbone and it's coupled with intention and concept but ultimately intuition and instinct finish the job. 

When we asked James how he decides what to do with the grapes, he said that it was genuinely difficult to explain but that on the deepest level possible he sort of just knows. James feels his biggest inspiration doesn’t come from other wines being produced around him - or those he has tried in the last decade but rather the ancient processes used in historical winemaking. Inside the winery, James adheres to minimal intervention practices, in an endeavour to offer wines that speak for themselves, rather than the ego of their maker. He acknowledges whatever the season gives and uses it to guide the process and decisions.

James works thoughtfully in the vineyard, using organically farmed grapes from select sites within the North Canterbury region. He believes a true expression of the season is not possible without being organic. 

James is bringing a special opportunity to Roses, by offering tasters of the same grape varieties across two different vintages. Wine made naturally is often perceived as something that is made recently and drunk almost instantly after creation but James is giving you the unique chance to sample organic, additive-free aged wine. This unique approach presents a moment to quite literally taste the land. 

Over time we have come to understand that wine often seems to be made on a tension or balance, with thoughtful makers feeling and moving through vintages with philosophy, instinct and feeling present in equal measure. James’s intention with his wine is to create deeply considered, juicy wines that capture the energy of the vineyard, and of course to bring immense joy to the beholder. We know he will not disappoint. 

James and Liv live in Otautahi with their very sweet cat Joni and their very large dog Towns. 

James’s favourite flower is the daisy.