The American photographer took the top prize with her atmospheric shot of workers handpicking grapes in the Sanford & Benedict vineyard in Sta Rita Hills, within California’s Santa Barbara County. Pinot Noir at Midnight is set against a backdrop of misty night air and shows one worker emptying grapes from a picking bin into a tractor, illuminated by overhead lighting.
The photo won the ‘People’ sub-category of the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year 2025 awards, which forms part of the annual World Food Photography Awards. It subsequently emerged as the overall champion after it was pitted against the winners of the other two sub-categories, ‘Places’ and ‘Produce’.
‘I work in California and the farm workers out there are so undervalued. I really just wanted to capture a sense of place and people and how valuable those people are,’ Daenitz told Decanter when asked about the inspiration behind her photograph.
‘It’s about the people. All of my work is about the people. I always want to show what consumers don’t see as often. We show vineyards all the time but it’s really unfortunate that we don’t show the farm workers, and what they’re doing and how they’re doing it and what it looks like to be out there in the middle of the night,’ she said.
‘Everything is really muffled and soft and that juxtaposition of hard work – the snipping of the clippers – as well as this soft, quiet peace.’
Italian photographer Alessandro Anglisani took first place in the Places sub-category, with a beautiful vineyard scene in Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese region. Window in the Vineyard is framed by verdant foliage and blue skies.
The Produce category was won by Franck Tremblay from France, with The Hand in the Vat, a colourful image taken at Domaine Alain Graillot in Crozes-Hermitage in the northern Rhône.
The awards ceremony took place at the Mall Galleries in London on Tuesday evening and was hosted by Yotam Ottolenghi, chef-patron of the eponymous restaurant group.
This year’s judges included Pepa Chadwick, family ambassador of Viña Errázuriz & Viña Seña and Sarah Pither, senior creative designer for Berry Bros & Rudd.
Patrick Grabham, Art Editor at Decanter was also on the judging panel and presented the award to Daenitz.
‘This photo was the clear winner for me, an outstanding photo,’ Grabham said. ‘The viewer is drawn into the centre of the image, towards the falling grapes, as the picker empties their container. As you look more closely the shadowy figures of the other pickers become apparent. The photo is beautifully balanced and expertly lit.’
The 2025 competition saw thousands of images entered from over 70 countries and 56 made it to the shortlist.
All of the finalist photos can be viewed at a free exhibition at Mall Galleries in London until 25 May. A collection of the images will also be on display at Fortnum & Mason on 2 June and at the Museum of the Home from 3 June to 7 September. Images are also available to view in an online gallery.
