First and foremost, James was a family man and this is my favourite portrait, captured back in the late ’90s for Mentelle Notes, James and his family – Wendy, Sophie, Tom, Eloise and Imogen, with their long-serving light blue Morrie.
James was also a flavour fanatic and as a winemaker he pushed traditional New World boundaries in search of qualities in wine beyond the ordinary – a pursuit in which he well and truly succeeded. He did so in a very hands-on fashion; tinkering with all the controls himself and always in a modest, ego-free manner.
James was a great mentor and extraordinarily open in sharing his experiences – what worked, what didn’t, and what he believed had potential. He had a huge and lasting impact on my winemaking, ushering me away from the techno-dominant mindset of my earlier years and into a world of wild yeast and hands-off oenology – a transition that indirectly, but indelibly shaped the wines of Greywacke.
We’ll all miss Jimbob, but our world is a richer and more flavourful place because of him. The Greywacke team raise a glass to a life well-lived, a great friend and a very special person.
Another shot I prepared earlier 😊 2018, on the banks of West Lake in Hangzhou … this is full colour, but it was pouring with rain so totally monotone except for the Red Umbrella … one of my all-time favourite images. #GreywackersOnTour #TravelSnaps #Hangzhou #RedUmbrella
The spectacular Bench Dragon Dance in Xidi Village, a long dragon constructed from connected wooden benches, dances near the village entrance then weaves through the ancient streets around Xidi. Over a hundred red lanterns lit up one after another, loud drums and fireworks – an impressive spectacle. #GreywackersOnTour #TravelSnaps #BenchDragonDance #Xidi
A couple of shots which include the impressive Hu Wenguang Archway, a significant Ming Dynasty stone structure at the entrance of the Xidi Ancient Village ... one showing a 50M long dragon sculpture, created to celebrate the harvest and made entirely of corn cobs. Some people thought it was a bit corny, but Mike thought it was amaising 🙄 #GreywackersOnTour #TravelSnaps #Xidi
The third UNESCO World Heritage Site on the itinerary - the ancient village of Xidi, also in the Huangshan area of Anhui Province. Xidi is similar to Hongcun with a 900-plus-year history, well-preserved Huizhou architecture and unique water systems. The street/alleys are also very narrow, but in Xidi the water channels are quite significant, quite deep and with no guard rails. #GreywackersOnTour #TravelSnaps #Xidi
The old Hongcun village has extremely narrow alleys with the ancient water reticulation system flowing in channels along the sides of the paths, supplying water for daily use and fire prevention. A bit of street (alley) photography of local people catering for the visitors. #GreywackersOnTour #TravelSnaps #Hongcun
Hongcun Village is renowned for its 900-year-old ‘ox-shaped’ layout and ancient water reticulation system that includes South Lake (the belly) and Moon Pond (the stomach). South Lake was featured in previous posts and this is Moon Pond at night and by day. #GreywackersOnTour #TravelSnaps #MoonPond #Hongcun
