The French photographer won the award in 2023 for his beautifully framed shot of a girl emptying a vat in Burgundy.
He has now successfully defended his crown courtesy of an aerial shot of a harvest in Volnay, located in the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy.
Gaudillère’s photograph displays an intelligent use of natural light to capture all the key players in the harvest – the grape pickers, the horse and the tractor – providing intriguing shadows on the dust track.
The shot won the ‘Places’ sub-category within the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year award, which is part of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards.
DWWA results out 19 June!
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Gaudillère’s photo was then judged against the winners of the ‘People’ and ‘Produce’ sub-categories, and it was determined to be the best overall.
Fellow French photographer Jonathan Thevenet won the ‘People’ sub-category for his image of a family pulling together during the harvest at the Aegerter estate in Burgundy.
Credit: Jonathan Thevenet / Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024
It was a clean sweep for the French, as compatriot Guenhaël Kessler clinched the ‘Produce’ sub-category for In the Tank During Alcoholic Fermentation.
The image was described as ‘an almost abstract close-up of the vivid colours of fermentation’, which was captured for renowned oenologist, Xavier Vignon, in the Rhône Valley.
Credit: Guenhaël Kessler / Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2024
Wine writer Joanna Simon, one of the judges, said: ‘The quality of the images overall was outstanding, and I love the way the three category winners evoke the conviviality and excitement of grape picking and the sheer beauty and colour of winemaking.
‘The two vineyard photographs both show the harvest in action and yet they couldn’t be more different – different people, places and times of the day captured for all time from very different viewpoints.’
Decanter’s art editor, Patrick Grabham, was also on the judging panel, along with wine writer Sophia Longhi and Errazuriz ambassador Pepa Chadwick.
The awards were presented at the Mall Galleries in London on Tuesday evening, announced by celebrity chef Andi Oliver.
An exhibition of all the winning and nominated photographs will run from June 5-9 at the Mall Galleries, located close to Trafalgar Square on The Mall, and there is also an online gallery.
