29 cover stories in many beautiful wine regions of Europe: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Domaine D'O in the South of France is the 30th cover story (magazine 43).
Photographer Paolo Dutto visited 30 winegrowers at their wineries and photographed them for Flaschenpost magazine. Find out here how this special collaboration came about over 10 years ago and which shoot posed the greatest challenge to date.
I got to know the two Flaschenpost founders Renzo and Dominic in 2013 when I photographed them for a magazine that portrayed young entrepreneurs on their path to success. I immediately developed a great personal and professional relationship with them.
In 2015, Renzo called me and asked if I would like to take the pictures for the cover story of the then relatively new customer magazine. The concept was clear from the start: don't do what you always see. No winemaker in the vineyard or cellar with a glass in his hand. The spirit and personality should be captured in a slightly different setting - in a moment when the winemaker is doing something he or she loves, apart from making wine of course.
I appreciate the trust that Flaschenpost places in me as a photographer, the creative freedom and the opportunity to actively contribute my own ideas.
«Don't do what people always see.»
It's important to have a clear idea of what you want to do and how you want to portray the person. The props also have to be organized - a racing bike, a horse, a dog - I've already had a lot of things in front of the lens. But you always have to remain flexible and see on location what is suitable and what is not. For outdoor shoots, of course, I also keep my fingers crossed for the weather.
«A racing bike, a horse, a dog - I've had a lot of things in front of my lens.»
I photographed António Maçanita from the Azores Wine Company for the magazine No. 33. As an enthusiastic surfer, he was to be photographed on a beach on the Atlantic coast. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his wetsuit for me - and it was the end of February! So I had to get into the freezing cold ocean in my underpants and T-shirt to photograph him. With water up to my waist and a strong current pulling me almost up to my neck in the sea, I held my camera and flash tightly in my hands. The funniest part was that 100 meters away was a restaurant where several guests were enjoying the show while drinking wine and eating fish.
For the magazine No. 21, I photographed Carlos San Pedro from Bodegas Pujanza on his white horse at sunset in the Rioja hills. It was a challenge because the horse was beautiful but also very energetic. In the end, however, a very strong picture emerged. Carlos looks like a medieval knight who is proud of his roots and his region.
Of course I always get to taste the wines featured on the cover. The best thing about it is that I get to taste them together with the winemaker. I always get to hear the story of how the product came about. For the penultimate magazine No. 42, I had the opportunity to taste all the wines from his cellar with Francesc Grimalt from 4kilos on Mallorca - straight from the barrel.
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Paolo Dutto
www.dutto.photo
Born in Beaune and raised among the most famous vineyards in Burgundy... Oliver Lemstra Bake was born into the world of wine. Today, the likeable young winemaker produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Languedoc. Find out why the young man wants to shake up our drinking habits and what the wine tank is all about in our latest magazine.
