Spanish photographer Juan Miguel Ortuño Martinez has been awarded the title of overall winner in the 2026 Louis Jadot Wine Photographer of the Year competition. His winning photograph, titled In the Depths of Deposit, captures a winery worker named Pedro engaged in the meticulous task of cleaning an underground tank filled with wine residue.
Martinez described the moment as Pedro utilizes pressurized water to scrub the walls, while his partner lowers a sponge-filled bucket to collect the remaining residue. This image, which highlights the often-overlooked work involved in winemaking, impressed the judges and was recognized as the best among a diverse collection of submissions. The competition forms part of the broader World Food Photography Awards.
In addition to the overall winner, the competition recognized various sub-category winners. The "Places" sub-category was won by Australian photographer Chris Elfes, whose image depicts a hidden vineyard during the harvest of Semillon grapes at Mount Pleasant Wines in New South Wales. The "Produce" award went to British photographer Luke Carver for his striking monochrome image taken from inside a traditional Georgian kvevri vessel during the grape harvest.
The judging panel included Decanter’s art editor Patrick Grabham and Louis Jadot MD Thibault Gagey, and a selection of the winning images will be showcased at Fortnum & Mason’s flagship location. All finalists’ work can also be viewed online at the World Food Photography Awards website.
To encourage engagement with wine photography, Decanter has launched its own wine photography competition, inviting wine lovers to submit their works. More information can be found on Decanter’s official site.