James has enjoyed close connection with fine wines since the age of 15 when he took part in a French exchange and has maintained close links with the Remy family ever since (Domaine Louis Remy, Morey St Denis). A graduate of Nottingham University with a degree in French with management, James spent much of 1993/4 in Burgundy, working closely with Jean-Marc Brocard in Chablis on the preparation and vinification of the 1993 vintage.
During the period of 1995-2003 he worked for a number of merchant banks both in London and South Africa but was also very much involved in fine wines during this period. As co-founder and principal buyer for the SS Wine Society James has been responsible for the purchases and administration of a fine wine club since 1996.
grape-juice was launched in 2002 as a fine wine buying service for contacts and city colleagues trusting their wine buying decisions to James. In 2004 grape juice started to offer a small number of wines for current drinking.
In August 2005 grape-juice merged with the UK business of Domaine Gayda - an exciting new property near Carcassonne, making wines from across the Languedoc. New Generation Wines was formed in January 2006 as Ben Llewelyn brought his considerable talents to the business, and continues to grow in exciting directions.