Heather Daenitz has won the prestigious Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year award for her striking photograph capturing vineyard workers picking Pinot Noir at night in California. Her photograph, titled Pinot Noir at Midnight, depicts a worker emptying grapes from a bin into a tractor, with overhead lights illuminating the scene amidst the misty air of Santa Barbara County’s Sta Rita Hills.
The image won in the ‘People’ sub-category of the Errazuriz awards, part of the annual World Food Photography Awards, before being chosen as the overall winner among other category champions. Daenitz aimed to highlight the often-overlooked contributions of farm workers, stating, "I wanted to capture a sense of place and people and how valuable those people are."
First place in the ‘Places’ category went to Alessandro Anglisani, whose photograph Window in the Vineyard beautifully captures a vineyard scene in Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese region. Franck Tremblay won the ‘Produce’ category with The Hand in the Vat, an image showcasing the art of winemaking at Domaine Alain Graillit in the northern Rhône.
The award ceremony took place at the Mall Galleries in London, hosted by renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi. The judging panel included notable personalities such as Pepa Chadwick, Sarah Pither, and Patrick Grabham from Decanter, who praised Daenitz’s winning image for its composition and lighting.
Thousands of photographs were submitted from over 70 countries for this year’s competition, with 56 images shortlisted. The finalists’ works are on display in a free exhibition at the Mall Galleries until May 25, followed by additional displays at Fortnum & Mason and the Museum of the Home.
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