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Old  Vine Photography Competition 2026

Voting Categories & Shortlist

A huge thank you to everyone who entered the inaugural Old Vine Photography Competition. The response was incredible, and the standard of entries made our judges' job no easy task.

The shortlists are set across all four categories: Landscape & Plants, People, Cultural Legacy, and Resilience & Adaptation, each one chosen to showcase a distinct and captivating perspective on the world's old vines.

Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist!

Voting closed on the 8th July and the winners will be announced on Old Vine Day: 15th July 2026.

  • Celebrating the beauty and character of old vines, this category highlights both sweeping vineyard landscapes and portraits of the intricate forms and textures of individual old vines.

  • Country of Residence: Australia
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Australia - Barossa
    Grape Variety: Shiraz
    Age of Vine: 183 years
    Vineyard Owner: Langmeil Winery
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2016
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

    About the Image:
    Langmeil Winery - Barossa Ancestor vine - Freedom 1843 Shiraz

    Judges’ Comments:
    “If I were to look at this photo without knowing its provenance, I would guess it is a grapevine over 100 years old. The camera lens successfully captures the etched crevices, long spurs and muscular enough trunk indicative of age, like the face of a wily 90-year-old man or sharp-eyed 100-year-old woman. Of course, knowing that it is a 183-year-old Shiraz makes it even more impressive; particularly the cluster sizes, demonstrating that old or ancient vines also exist for this reason: Because these vines are still vigorous enough to produce a healthy crop (if old vines produce meagre or next to nothing in yields, they are no longer commercially viable, hence are more likely to be pulled out than preserved). There is a lot ‘here’ here.” Randy Caparoso

  • Country of Residence: Italy
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Farra di Soligo, Veneto, Italy
    Grape Variety: Glera
    Age of Vine: About 50 years
    Vineyard Owner: unknown
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2020
    Device Used to Capture Image: Digital Camera Nikon Z7 whit 70/200mm f4

    About the Image:
    “An autumn view of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape shaped by centuries of human dedication. The image captures the defining features of this extraordinary territory: the steep, narrow terraces known as ciglioni, hand-built and tended across generations, and the mosaic of vineyards interwoven with woodland and historic rural buildings. The warm light of sunset traces the unique profile of these hills, revealing the complexity and beauty of a landscape that is both natural and deeply human. In the foreground, old Glera vines - the soul of Prosecco Superiore DOCG - root this image in place and tradition.” Arcangelo Piai

    Judges’ Comments:
    “This landscape is truly beautiful and captures autumn in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills perfectly. The landscape beyond acts as the perfect backdrop offering a soft milky quality to the colourful structure of the vines in the foreground. The rule of thirds works really well with this composition.” Jason Ingram

  • Country of Residence: Spain
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Toro, Spain
    Grape Variety: Tinta de Toro
    Age of Vine: 80 years
    Vineyard Owner: Andrés Alonso
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2023
    Device Used to Capture Image: DJI FC3582

    About the Image:
    “A vineyard belonging to one of the winegrowers we work with every year. At around 80 years old, these vines produce an incredible Tinta de Toro for our Numanthia wine.” Elena Bravo González

    Judges’ Comments:
    “A study in contradictions. The bush vines appear plentiful, yet the landscape surrounding them is stark and unforgiving. Beneath the lush canopy are bone-dry soils. And what reads as uniformity from a distance is, in fact, a vineyard alive with genetic variation and the and the quiet singularity of vines planted eighty years ago.” Belinda Stone

  • Country of Residence: Italy
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Italy, Piemonte
    Grape Variety: Dolcetto
    Age of Vine: 130+ years
    Vineyard Owner: Marcarini Family
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2026
    Device Used to Capture Image: Nikon Z6ll

    About the Image:
    “This vine is located in a special vineyard: a pre-fillossera ungrafted old Dolcetto vines. This is a vine that speaks: it rises and opens its branches like arms stretching after a long vegetative rest. From the scarred wood, life returns, simple and stubborn. It asks nothing, it simply says: I am here, and I am alive.” Elisa Marchetti

    Judges’ Comments:
    “The golden hour at its best, backlighting the vine with a real sense of the time of day. It’s a very simple image with a lot of character both in the composition and the lighting.” Jason Ingram

  • Country of Residence: France
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: France - Rhone Valley - Chateauneuf du Pape
    Grape Variety: Grenache
    Age of Vine: 40 years
    Vineyard Owner: Domaine des Fines Roches
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2025
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM - 100 ISO 59 mm 1/200 s with flash

    About the Image:
    “Grenache vines trained in the goblet style (the goblet is a traditional pruning method typical of Châteauneuf-du-Pape)” Guenhael Kessler

    Judges’ Comments:
    “This has a beautiful sculptural quality as all vines do, the photographer has accentuated the details within the image really well by making sure the light brings out all the fine textures, not easy when the subject is very similar to the background. It works really well to bring plants into the studio and treat as portraits which is exactly what works so well with this image. I love the monochrome tones that make up this image.” Jason Ingram

  • Country of Residence: Argentina
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: El Cepillo, San Carlos, Mendoza, Argentina
    Grape Variety: Malbec
    Age of Vine: 1924 (102 years)
    Vineyard Owner: Catena Zapata
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2024
    Device Used to Capture Image: Undisclosed

    About the Image:
    “Taken while walking through old vineyards of Malbec from 1924.” Lucia Garcia

    Judges’ Comments:
    “Clarity, color and lighting are optimal, but what makes this photo appealing is its architecture: Enviable balance of trunk, spur and clusters, giving a tree-like grace. It is, of course, a grapevine, not a tree, and it actually looks like a winding, curvaceous vine sprouting magically out of the ground. Intellectually, I like it because it harkens back to an era of Old World grapevine husbandry, whereas most of the Malbec in modern day Argentina are grown on higher tech trellis systems. If I published a magazine, this would be a cover shot (as only an old vine geek like me would have it).” Randy Caparoso

  • Celebrating the individuals behind old vine preservation, this category highlights both the hands-on work of conservation and the passion and commitment of those who dedicate themselves to safeguarding these living treasures.

  • Country of Residence: Bolivia
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Cinti Valley, Bolivia
    Grape Variety: Negra Criolla (Listán Prieto)
    Age of Vine: 200 years
    Vineyard Owner: María José Granier (Jardín Oculto)
    Year Photo Was Taken: October 25, 2022
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon EOS 5DS R

    About the Image:
    “The team at Jardín Oculto, María José, Mercedes and Helios, posing in front of a negra criolla vine growing around a chañar tree. The project was born of a desire to showcase this ancient treasure of Bolivia.” Helios MacNaught

    Judges’ Comments:
    “What strikes you first is the equality of the subjects: the vines stand as tall as the people; the people stand as rooted as the vines; the light falls on both without preference, as if nature itself refuses to choose. No hierarchy, no ego. Just the quiet certainty that plant and human alike are exactly where they are supposed to be.” Belinda Stone

  • Country of Residence: United Kingdom
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Cinti Valley, Bolivia
    Grape Variety: Listán Prieto, Moscatel de Alejandría, Vischoqueña
    Age of Vine: 200+ years
    Vineyard Owner: Dionisia Portal
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2026
    Device Used to Capture Image: Nikon Z8

    About the Image:
    “Dionisia and her family work with historic, arboreal vines in Bolivia's remote Cinti Valley. She sells grapes to other bodegas. She has worked these vineyards all her life. I took this photo on a visit in January this year.” Tim Atkin MW

    Judges’ Comments:
    “Historic old vines do something to people. This image captures exactly that - pure, unguarded happiness. I can’t help but smile when I look at this picture.” Luma Monteiro

  • Country of Residence: United States
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: United States
    Grape Variety: Zinfandel
    Age of Vine: 100 years
    Vineyard Owner: Jeff and John Perlegos
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2023
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon 5D

    About the Image:
    “Shot during the harvest, a migrant worker harvests Old Vine Zinfandel.”Allison Watkins

    Judges’ Comments:
    “The darkened, shadowy, deeply coloured style of this photographer lends an artistic sense of permanence to her chosen medium, while the subject matter tells its own story, like that of every old vine vineyard: A grape picker raising a cluster of Zinfandel in a fashion suggesting a priest raising the body or blood of Christ. Love the symbolism as much as the success of this image as a photograph.” Randy Caparoso

  • Country of Residence: Argentina
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Mendoza, Argentina
    Grape Variety: Torrontés
    Age of Vine: 55 years
    Vineyard Owner: Scilipotti Family
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2024
    Device Used to Capture Image: SONY ILCE-7RM5

    About the Image:
    “Laura Catena embraces a 55-year-old Torrontés vine, a living expression of her commitment to preserving Argentina’s viticultural heritage. LUCA Wines was founded in 1999 with a mission to protect Mendoza’s historic vineyards - ensuring that these Old Vines, and the stories they hold, continue to thrive for generations to come.” Francisca Casañas

    Judges’ Comments:
    “Technically, an imperfect portrait, but who can argue about the subject matter: A gigantic, old Torrontés (grapevines grow this vigorously only in ideally suitable environments) and an internationally renowned viticulturist and wine industry leader, posing in her trademark enthusiasm. And absolutely, the preservation of old vines needs enthusiasm on the part of grape growers, the wine production industry, trade, media and, above all, consumers. This is a good photo that promotes old vine viticulture.” Randy Caparoso

  • Country of Residence: France
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: France - Rhone Valley - Jonquerettes
    Grape Variety: Not identified
    Age of Vine: more than 100 years
    Vineyard Owner: Domaine du Bois de Saint Jean - Xavier Angles
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2022
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM - 1/60 16 mm f/2.8 iso 800 with flash

    About the Image:
    “In May 1910, Xavier Angles’ great-grandfather planted the estate’s first vine. A hundred years have passed… and a hundred years on, the ‘Pur Cent’ cuvée was born.” Guenhael Kessler

    Judges’ Comments:
    “While the grape variety is not identified (leaf morphology suggests Grenache), the photo successfully conveys a close, symbiotic relationship between man and grapevine, a synergy necessary for the survival of old vines. Lighting is more studio-like than natural, yet in this case it works as part of the portraiture nature of this portrayal.” Randy Caparoso

  • Exploring the enduring significance of old vines, this category celebrates images that reflect their historical and cultural roots while also capturing their place in the modern world, revealing how tradition, community and contemporary life intersect to shape and sustain their legacy.

  • Country of Residence: Italy
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Campania, Italy
    Grape Variety: Aglianico
    Age of Vine: 150+ years
    Vineyard Owner: Feudi Di San Gregorio
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2010
    Device Used to Capture Image: Not disclosed

    About the Image:
    “These vines are over 150 years old, and the vineyard isn't planted in neat rows. It's more like a labyrinth, a mix of vines, fruit trees, and older structures that have evolved over generations. More than anything, it's a vineyard that has been inherited. Not just owned, but passed down with a sense of responsibility to preserve it and hand it over to the next generation.” Emilie Richomme

    Judges’ Comments:
    “This picture is perfection. Every layer of it it's complex and tells a story. The super old vine, how huge they are compared with the lady. She is an aged lady making a human comparison to an aged vine. Every time you look at it, there are more and more ways to interpret it. Brilliant picture.” Luma Monteiro

  • Country of Residence: England
    Photographer Level: Amateur
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Camargo Nor Cinti Chuquisaca, Bolivia
    Grape Variety: Negra Criolla/Misionera
    Age of Vine: 200 years
    Vineyard Owner: Rebeca & Camilo Cazon Yebara
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2026
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon R6 Mark Ll

    About the Image:
    “Rooted in practices dating back to Roman and Etruscan times and brought to Bolivia by Spanish settlers nearly 500 years ago, this system of viticulture with polyculture and agroforestry finds a living expression today in Camargo, Nor Cinti. The image captures more than a harvest - it reveals the continuity of ancestral knowledge, adapted to the land and sustained across generations. In this vitiforestry system, vines coexist with diverse crops in a balanced and productive ecosystem, while the community works collaboratively, sharing knowledge and labour. More than an agricultural method, it is a cultural legacy that weaves together history, identity, and cooperation - keeping a unique tradition alive in the modern world.” Patricia Valeria Mendoza M

    Judges’ Comments:
    “Colourful depiction, like that of a painter's arrangement, of this centuries-old culture of wine and food, "sustainable" long before the word was coined. The ladder suggests a culinary culture as deeply engrained as spiritual traditions, the baskets of bounty the vitiforestry system’s way of feeding the soul, mind, body and heritage.” Randy Caparoso

  • Country of Residence: Bolivia
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Cinti Valley, Bolivia
    Grape Variety: Vischoqueña
    Age of Vine: 100 years
    Vineyard Owner: María José Granier (Jardín Oculto)
    Year Photo Was Taken: February 26, 2024
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon EOS 5DS R

    About the Image:
    “Traditionally, the harvest of the old vines that grow around the molle and chañar trees, is done in teams of two. One up on high to retrieve the grapes, and one bellow to collect them safely. The tradition surrounding this, the use of baskets, ropes and stairs is alive and well still today.” Helios MacNaught

    Judges’ Comments:
    “What a superb POV. The folliage is perfect bringing this wonderful background, looks like a painting, it's a perfect shot from a very interesting angle.” Luma Monteiro

  • Country of Residence: Chile
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Chile, Itata Valley
    Grape Variety: Pais
    Age of Vine: 150 years
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2026
    Device Used to Capture Image: Sony mirrorless with 50mm lens

    About the Image:
    “Two workers filling the press from an old foudre.” Matt Wilson

    Judges’ Comments:
    “It is super nice to see a picture that showcases the grapes as well. These old vines are so resilient and produce wonderful, concentrated grapes but small quantities, so great to see the end point. Also, look at the proportion of people to the vat, what an impressive image.” Luma Monteiro

  • Country of Residence: South Africa
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: South Africa, Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch
    Grape Variety: Chenin Blanc
    Age of Vine: 79 years old
    Vineyard Owner: Kaapzicht
    Year Photo Was Taken: September 2022
    Device Used to Capture Image: Sony a7s I

    About the Image:
    “Four generations of Steytlers have been custodians of this single vineyard for almost eight decades. Believed to be the second oldest Chenin Blanc vineyard in South Africa, this bush vine stands on the slopes of Bottelary Hills as a monument to the history of South Africa's most important grape variety.” Michael Minnie

    Judges’ Comments:
    “I’m shortlisting this on the basis of the context given by the contributor, who identifies this as a 79-year-old Chenin blanc cultivated by four generations of a South African family, which underlines the recognition of a cultivar's adaptation to a specific terroir (a cornerstone of old vine viticulture), driving the devotion of its custodians since the late 1940s.” Randy Caparoso

  • This category explores the strength and vulnerability of old vines, capturing how they endure and adapt to environmental change while also reflecting themes of loss, fragility and renewal.

    From climate challenges and survival in shifting landscapes to forgotten or threatened vines and restoration efforts, images should reveal both the impermanence and remarkable resilience of these living heritage sites.

  • Country of Residence: Spain
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Spain, Aragon
    Grape Variety: Garnacha Field Blend
    Age of Vine: 80 years
    Vineyard Owner: El Escocés Volante
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2021
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon R5

    About the Image:
    “A portrait of resilience: this octogenarian vineyard has endured decades of extremes -from parched summers and searing heat to the brutal -19°C freeze of storm Filomena in January 2021. A striking image that belies the limits of the vines’ endurance.” Sharon Wade

    Judges’ Comments:
    “While this ‘portrait’ style presentation is nothing unusual, I give props because in my experience close-ups of old bush vines are not as easy as you think. Both shadow and light can degrade delineation, but in this photo there is just enough golden (rather than harsh) light to amplify the age of the vine. The rocky moonscape terroir highlights the age-old tradition of cultivating grapevines in extreme or low vigour sites, only emphasising the ‘miracle’ of old vines surviving against the odds.” Randy Caparoso

  • Country of Residence: France
    Photographer Level: Amateur
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Croatia, Pelješac, Dingač
    Grape Variety: Plavac Mali
    Age of Vine: 70+ years
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2023
    Device Used to Capture Image: Apple iPhone 11 Pro

    About the Image:
    “The Plavac Mali vines of Dingač, clinging to a rocky cliff, have overlooked the Adriatic sea for centuries, and what they must have seen in that time.” Roderick Smith

    Judges’ Comments:
    “This photographic is of excellent quality for its clarity and dramatic composition of sea, land, sky and natural wild growth. It is of special significance for lovers of Zinfandel, the grape most associated with old vine viticulture in California, because it is a rarely seen glimpse into the terroir in which Zinfandel originated, although Plavac Mali itself is a cross of Crllenjak Kaštelanski (ancestral Zinfandel) and Dobričić.” Randy Caparoso

  • Country of Residence: Australia
    Photographer Level: Amateur
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Australia, Eden Valley
    Grape Variety: Shiraz
    Age of Vine: 139 years old
    Vineyard Owner: Andrew and Michelle Holt
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2019
    Device Used to Capture Image: Canon 1DX Mk11 plus 16-35 f4 lens

    About the Image:
    “This image was taken in a small shiraz vineyard planted in 1880 in Australia's Eden Valley wine region. There is a certain mystique around very old vines. The wines made from these old vines are special, and I personally feel a sense of wonder when I taste and consider a wine made from century old vines, perhaps in some ways similar to the sense of wonder one has when gazing into a star filled sky. While the night sky we gaze at is timeless, these vines have survived and adapted over 140 years, through some of Australia's harshest droughts. It is not only the resilience of the vines that has ensured their survival, but also the resilience of the custodians of this vineyard, enduring the good times and the bad, and while many old vineyards were lost to vine pulls, development and changing farming practices, this small vineyard endured. The small streak of light in the top left corner is a shooting star; a fitting metaphor that all life is temporary and precious. Many nights of experimentation were required to capture this image.” Andrew Holt

    Judges’ Comments:
    “I have not seen a photograph like this in a long time. The focus on the vine, the star-filled sky - every detail is exactly as it should be. It barely looks real. Superb, arresting work that I won't forget quickly - and would very much like to own." Luma Monteiro

  • Country of Residence: Greece
    Photographer Level: Professional
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Greece, Santorini
    Grape Variety: Assyrtiko
    Age of Vine: 150 years
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2026
    Device Used to Capture Image: Lumix s5iix

    About the Image:
    ”The farmers prune the plants so they leave few fresh brunches every year. They turn them into a basket shape so the grapes can grow protected from the high winds that hit the island every summer.” Nikos Korakakis

    Judges’ Comments:
    “A solitary vine on Santorini, trained into a basket low against the ground, is a symbol of each vine fighting for themselves. every vine a solitary act of endurance against the island's relentless winds. But this image tells two stories of resilience: the vine that has learned to survive, and the person who chose to stay with it. Neither is there without the other - shaped by the same winds, hardened by the same seasons, equally unwilling to yield.” Belinda Stone

  • Country of Residence: United Kingdom
    Photographer Level: Amateur
    Country & Region Photo Was Taken In: Lanzarote, Canary Island, Spain
    Grape Variety: Undisclosed
    Age of Vine: 100 to 125 years old
    Vineyard Owner: Melián family, Bodega La Geria
    Year Photo Was Taken: 2025
    Device Used to Capture Image: Apple iPhone 14 Pro

    About the Image:
    “This composition captures the incredible resilience of ancient viticulture in Lanzarote’s La Geria. Sheltered by hand-built stone zocos, these century-old, ungrafted vines thrive in one of Earth's most extreme wine-growing environments. The background reveals the harsh, misty, and windy conditions of the Atlantic, where fierce trade winds constantly challenge the landscape. The porous volcanic gravel (picón) acts as a vital sponge, trapping moisture from this thick fog to sustain the vines against the desert heat. Against the massive volcanic mountain, the vibrant foreground vine is a living testament to endurance in a beautiful, unyielding wilderness.” Mignon Chiu

    Judges’ Comments:
    “The message of this beautifully composed photograph is that where there are people there must be grapes for wine; a culinary tradition going back millenniums, notwithstanding the harshest, most challenging wine-growing traditions such as on this windswept volcanic island demanding patience and ingenuity, creating a specific viticultural tradition: An essence of resilience and adaptation.” Randy Caparoso