‘Pinot Noir at Midnight’ is overall winner at Wine Photographer of the Year awards

The sights, smells and sounds of harvest at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in California’s Sta. Rita Hills are brought to life in Heather Daenitz’ Pinot Noir at Midnight, an image that saw her crowned overall winner of the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year Award 2025.

The photograph captures the scene as harvest workers rush between rows of vines, harshly lit by the beams from a tractor. The conditions are tough; droplets of sweat, mud and dust fizz through the air, revealing themselves before the unrelenting spotlight of the machinery. Cicadas sing, alarms continue to beep over the consistent whir of clashing cogs and churned up mud, people shout across to one another.

At the centre of the photograph, a workman tosses grapes into the back of a cart. The tumbling fruit and hardworking man are frozen in time, framed by the vehicle and spotlit by its posterior lights. We are reminded of what truly makes wine so great: the commitment of those working from the moment a vine is planted right through to bottling.

Several other images took home accolades at the this year’s Wine Photographer of the Year awards. Subdivided into the categories of People, Places and Produce, the photos beautifully capture the essence of terroir as a unique expression of the place and culture that sings through wine. The Places category was won by Alessandro Anglisani for his sublime depiction of the rolling hills of Oltrepò Pavese, a historic region in Lombardy, Italy, that still remains a hidden treasure. French photographer Franck Tremblay was the winner of the Produce category for his striking image, The Hand in a Vat. Opening up the door of a steel tank during the process of devatting at Domaine Alain Graillot, we are invited to peep through to the bright fuchsia grape juice, a hand covered in liquid presenting itself from inside the vat.

The judging panel for this year’s competition comprised Pepa Chadwick, family ambassador of Viña Errázuriz & Viña Seña, Yasia Williams, art director at Octopus Publishing, Patrick Grabham, art director at Decanter, Sarah Pither, senior creative designer for Berry Bros & Rudd and Kerrie McCallum, editor-in-chief at Delicious Magazine. The winners were revealed by chef, restaurateur and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi on Tuesday 20 May at the Mall Galleries in London.

The Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year award forms part of the larger World Food Photography Awards. A free-to-enter exhibition featuring images by all 185 finalists across every category will run from 21-25 May at Mall Galleries. A selection of images will also be available to view at Fortnum and Mason from 2 June as well as the Museum of the Home from 3 June-7 September.

Scroll down to view the winners and runners-up across the three wine categories: