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These photographs celebrate winemaking all around the world

From vineyard to bottle, the shortlist for the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year 2021 shows wine photography at its finest

Words by Laura Richards

Duy Dash Vintage harvest from above - wine photographer of the year
Photographer Duy Dash captures an Australian vintage harvest from above

As the ebb and flow of life around the world shifted dramatically last year, shortlisted images from the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year award offer reassuring snapshots of things just as they should be – from scenes of bountiful harvests to winemakers getting up close and personal with their produce. With so many of us having turned to nature in our isolation, these pictures seem to strike a chord now more than ever.

They form a part of the annual Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards, which celebrates footage from professionals and amateurs, capturing anything from street food to wedding food; food in the field to food on the table.

For the Wine Photographer of the Year, hopefuls were asked to submit images across three sub-categories: People, Places and Produce. That’s how we end up in the fields of West Bank Israel for harvest, with children strapped to the backs of pruners and pickers. Or knee-deep in purpling vats of Pinot Noir in the Yarra Valley. We’re, of course, thrilled to see Club Oenologique contributors Lucy Pope and Patrick Desgraupes make the shortlist this year for their evocative shots around the château and cellar.

Lucy Pope Chateau Musar - wine photographer of the year
Lucy Pope captures scenes inside the Chateau Musar cellar in Lebanon
Patrick Desgraupes Vintage cellar in cave de Cairanne - wine photographer of the year
Patrick Desgraupes says parts of the cellar at Carianne's Grandes Serres in the Rhône Valley have hardly changed since its creation in 1929

Beyond our contributors, there’s a vast world of winemaking to explore. So here’s a selection of our favourites from the shortlist, with the winner revealed via YouTube at 8pm on 27 April.

People

David Silverman Harvest of faith - wine photographer of the year
Winemaking in Israel's West Bank, taken by David Silverman
Egle Berruti After the day of harvest - wine photographer of the year
A pruner's hands after a day in the harvest field, captrued by Egle Berruti
Gilbert Bages There are many ways to drink Monastrell - wine photographer of the year
The co-owner of Spain's Bodegas Casa Rojo, José Luis Gómez, tasting Monastrell straight from the barrel. Photograph by Gilbert Bages
Megan Johns-Kane Winemaker Squeeze - wine photographer of the year
Megan Johns-Kane captures an Alicante winemaker testing grapes ready for harvest
Patrick Desgraupes In the cellar of barrels
Club Oenologique contributor Patrick Desgraupes gets a further nod for this scene in the cellars in Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux
Ricardo Garrido Diogo Lopes in Adega Mae
Ricardo Garrido's shot of barrel-hopping winemaker Diogo Lopes made the cover of Portugal's 'Revista de Vinhos'
Victor Pugatschew Pressing the pinot noir
Pressing Pinot Noir in a Yarra Valley vineyard. Photograph by Victor Pugatschew

Places

Marina Spironetti Harvest
Harvest in action in Piedmont's Monsordo Bernardina Estate. Photograph by Marina Spironetti
Jerome Genee Labour in Fleurie
In Fleurie, Beaujolais, where the hills are so steep, a rope winch is required for working the land. Photograph by Jerome Genée
Enzo Massa The hills of La Morra
The fog that gives Nebbiolo its name as it hits the hills in La Morra. Photography by Enzo Massa
Judith Balari Wine bottles display
Judith Balari captures a family as they dine beneath ageing bottles in an Austrian restaurant

Produce

Adam_Sargent_Foudre Fill
Adam Sargent's top-down view as a foudre (oak barrel) gets filled
Enzo_Massa_Red wine
Another shot from Enzo Massa in Piedmont, this time taken in Rodello
Jerome_Gene_Hand and pinot noir
Jerome Genée's shot of a hands-on approach to French Pinot Noir, before grape pressing begins
Cellar worker cleaning wine tank with water
Inspired by sourdough, photographer Tono Balaguer wanted to learn more about fermentation from inside a tank
Victor_Pugatschew_Curled chardonnay
An old Chardonnay vine artistically curls around a wire in Victor Pugatschew's shot from Australia
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