Early this week I had the great pleasure of photographing the venerable Michel Rolland, consulting winemaker for Alpha Omega and many other exclusive wine brands in Napa Valley and throughout the world. This guy is the bee’s knees in the wine world! Don’t believe me? Here are some basic stats according to Wikipedia:

“Michel Rolland (born December 24, 1947 in Libourne, France) is an influential Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries and influencing wine style around the world. “It is his consultancies outside France that have set him apart from all but a handful of his countrymen.” It is frequently addressed that his signature style, which he helps wineries achieve, is fruit-heavy and oak-influenced, a preference shared by influential critic Robert Parker.

Rolland owns several properties in Bordeaux, including Château Le Bon Pasteur, Château Bertineau Saint-Vincent in Lalande de Pomerol, Château Rolland-Maillet in Saint-Émilion, Château Fontenil in Fronsac, and Château La Grande Clotte in Lussac-Saint-Émilion as well as joint venture partnerships with Bonne Nouvelle in South Africa, Val de Flores in Argentina, Campo Eliseo in Spain and Yacochuya and Clos de los Siete in Argentina.”

See? I told you — the bee’s knees.

One would think that someone of his stature may be less approachable to us mere mortals – not so with Michel. From the moment he entered the cool cellar where I was photographing, his easy-going nature and warm personality was immediately apparent. And like a seasoned actor, he could change expressions from assertive and confident to lighthearted and even silly. Some of my favorite images were the in-between shots where his guard was lowered and the warmth shone steadily through.

When it came down to photographing him at work tasting and blending, however, he was steely focused. I especially like the photos where he elevates the wine tasting experience to include touch by using his hands to help describe the characteristics of the wine or feeling he was experiencing.

Jason

Wine Country Bottle Clinic has opened its doors aimed at wine businesses, marketing firms and designers in need of professional, yet affordable photography of their wines.

Yep, this is my new wine country venture. In addition to providing the wine world with my event and environmental portraiture; and wine and food lifestyle stock photos, I’ll be adding a specific niche to my commercial photo services- wine bottles.

“You make the wine. I shoot the bottles. You get the pictures.”

It’s a niche offering born from the observation that many of the wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and beyond could benefit from more polished presentations of their wines. I’m often puzzled when I see the photos wineries choose as the visual interpretation of their brands on websites and other marketing collateral. They spend gobs of time and money fine tuning messaging to vie for precious stage-time among the, literally, thousands of other brands out there, and then use a point and shoot or cell phone camera for their product photos. It’s especially off-putting when you see the photographer’s reflection in the bottle.

The “Clinic” offers three pricing options starting at just $125 for the “Classic” bottle shot, and a “Styled” photo allows for customization to integrate with a winery’s branding. And quick service too – with photos ready in as little as 24 hours!

My goal is to provide great service and illustrate that good photography isn’t out of reach or budget. Like it or not, we’re a visual society - why not demonstrate your commitment to quality with professional photography?

More details, pricing options, and photos of previous client work are available at winecountrybottleclinic.com.

If you know of someone that could benefit from this type of service, please forward it on.

Sincerely,

Jason