Mural raises the bar at Greytown winery

Greytown’s urban winery Alexia opens for the summer today with a newly acquired on-licence.

The winery will open its backstreet wine bar from 11am to 4pm, Friday to Sunday, through the summer season.

Alexia is an urban winery co-owned by Jane Cooper and Lesley Reidy.

Cooper and Reidy source grapes from Manuka Flats vineyard in West Taratahi and make them into wine in West St, Greytown.

“The idea is to put the winery where the people are,” Reidy said.

For two years the winery has operated with an offlicense, but when the doors op today patrons can have a glass of wine in the garden or enjoy something from the menu of locally sourced food on the new verandah.

It will host pop-up events, including Pies and Pinot, on Saturday, November 5.

Alexia commissioned Featherston artist Jen Olson to paint a massive mural inside the winery.

Olson spent five weeks

painting the surreal mural called Goodly Creatures.

It depicts several figures in pink, some of whom have plants growing out of their arms.

The mural draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which Olson said in her artist statement, involves people “building strength, character and love despite [and because

of] nature’s stormy torment.”

Olson painted words from the play onto the wall beneath the mural, which acted as a thematic background and a spacial grid for scaling the artwork.

Alexia wines opened its doors in 2020, shortly before the first covid lockdown.

After a tough few years, Cooper and Reidy

have seen success, with their wine now stocked at several top restaurants in Wairarapa and Wellington and also at Moore Wilsons.

Now, Alexia might become Greytown’s hottest summertime drinks spot with an on-license.

This year Alexia has five wines under its main label and four more under its Tangent label.