Portrait of Jean-Yves Bardin, Photographer of Winemakers

The books *Anjou Untamed* and *Grappes de Haikus*, created by photographer Jean-Yves Bardin, have been nominated for the upcoming edition of the Gourmands Awards. *Anjou Untamed* won the award for Best French Book in the Best Special Awards Wine category.

These two photography books will represent France at the “Best in the World” awards in Yantai, China, in May 2017.

This is an opportunity for us to discover the work of this photographer of winemakers, who won the “Best in the World” award in 2015 for his book *Vignerons d’Anjou*. Jean-Yves Bardin promotes wine culture on the international stage, which is why he has caught our interest.

The Man of the Land and Wine

Jean-Yves Bardin lives in Angers: his work seems to spring from this place. Indeed, he has been a photographer and artist since 2011, and since then, he has focused on the work of Angers’ winemakers. His work seeks to capture the “Animal” of the region that inspires him through three themes that form a trilogy: earth-man-sky. This trilogy thus represents the faces of winemakers, the fantastical bestiary of the vines, and the spirit of the wine. The vineyard appears as a world unto itself, and Jean-Yves Bardin captures its authenticity through photography. In this way, he invites us into the intimacy of the vineyards and the world of viticulture.

The Winemakers' Photographer

The first part of Jean-Yves Bardin’s photographic work is the book *Vignerons d’Anjou—Gueules de vignerons*, published by Anovi in 2014. It is a series of portraits that celebrates the work of the men and women who dedicate themselves to wine, striving to produce a high-quality product. The central idea is that Anjou wine is authentic because it is the fruit of the labor and passion of its winemakers. This book was a resounding success, winning the award for Best Book in the World in the category of Best French Book on Wine at the 20th edition of the “Gourmand Awards” international festival in Yantai, China, in 2015. What makes these photographs unique is that they capture the winemakers in action, in the midst of their work, which lends them a striking authenticity. Jean-Yves Bardin takes us into the world of winemaking, helping us discover the roots and terroir of the Anjou region.

We find this same deeply human concern in *Anjou Untamed* (Anjou sauvage, Anjou indompté), published in 2016. Here, the photographer focuses on winemakers who practice biodynamic viticulture and produce organic or natural wine. The portraits capture the work and passion of these winemakers as they uphold their values within their terroirs. Indeed, “Anjou Untamed” consists of 48 portraits of winemakers from Anjou and Saumur who advocate for sustainable viticulture. The originality of the work lies in the fact that the photographs are accompanied by an illustrated map of Maine-et-Loire showing the locations of all the winemakers, as well as a selection of their “favorite wines.” The experience is thus made more real in a way, and the reader can truly immerse themselves in this world through the book.

Jean-Yves Bardin took his creative work a step further in 2016 with *Grappes de Haïkus*. It is the first trilingual collection of haiku (French, English, Japanese) dedicated to the world of wine. The haikus by Annick Dandeville, Vice President of Haïkouest and President of La Taverne aux Poètes, and those by Patrick Gillet, author of *Miroir de Loire* (2014) and *Haiku et spiritualité* (2016), are illustrated by the winemakers’ photographer. He moves away from portraiture to offer striking landscapes that perfectly illustrate the haikus. The celebration of this world of wine is always captured through the photographs. This time, Jean-Yves Bardin takes us on a journey through the vineyards.

The photographic journey

Jean-Yves Bardin’s work focuses primarily on photography of the wine world. One can trace his career through the various photography exhibitions in which he has participated:

He began in 2013 with the “Terroirs d’images 2013” International Exhibition in Carcassonne. He then went on to participate in a series of increasingly prestigious exhibitions: for example, in 2015 he exhibited at the Crédit Municipal gallery in Paris with “Du vin et des hommes” before participating in and winning first prize at the Gourmand Awards International in 2015 in Yantai. Since then, he has exhibited in prestigious venues such as the Louvre Cellars in Paris in 2016, for example.

Awards Received

Jean-Yves Bardin is known for his work as a wine photographer, focusing on wine.

In fact, he was honored in 2012 when he received the Bourse du Talent’s “Coup de Cœur” Award in the portrait category.

Then, in 2013, he won the professional category at the International Biennial of Vine and Wine Photography.

His breakthrough came in June 2015 when he received the "Best in the World" award for the book *Vignerons d’Anjou* at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Yantai, China. He won the award in the category of Best French Book on Wine!

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards is a prestigious annual event that honors the world's best books on food and drink.

This year, he is also nominated for the Gourmand Awards for his works *Anjou Untamed* and *Grappes de Haïku*.

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