In 2016 the Brazilian photographer Marcos Alberti invited 53 friends to his studio in São Paulo and photographed each of them four times: once as they walked in from work, and again after each of three glasses of wine. Every shot uses the same simple set-up, a face against a striped wall, so the only thing that changes is the person. The result, which he called the Wine Project and which is often shared as "3 Glasses Later", became one of the most viral portrait series of the year. Below you can see all 53 sets, with notes on what changes in each, followed by a look at what the photos do and do not tell us about wine.
How the Wine Project worked
Alberti built the project around an old saying he liked to repeat: "the first glass of wine is all about the food, the second glass is about love and the third glass is about mayhem." He has said the idea began as an after-hours joke among friends and turned into a serious series with a light-hearted spirit.
The method was deliberately plain. Guests were photographed the moment they arrived, to catch the stress and tiredness of a full working day and a battle through São Paulo's rush-hour traffic. Then, at the end of each glass, came one more picture. In his words it was "a face and a wall, 3 times." Participants came from music, art, fashion, dance, architecture and advertising, and they spent a couple of evenings together talking, eating and drinking as the shoot went on.
Each set below is arranged as a grid of four: the arrival photo, then the portraits after one, two and three glasses, marked with small wine-glass icons.
Portraits 1 to 18
Portrait 1. A man in a navy-and-white striped polo arrives with a polite, closed-mouth expression typical of an end-of-day portrait. By the first glass his smile reaches his eyes, and by the third it has settled into an easy, steady grin. His set shows how gradual the change can be for a calm personality.
Portrait 2. A bearded man in a black cap and thick glasses is already squinting with amusement before he has had a sip. By the third glass he is laughing so hard his eyes almost disappear. Some people clearly arrive ready for a party.
Portrait 3. A bearded man in glasses and a dark polo starts with a slightly guarded look. One glass brings a relaxed smile, two a full laugh, and by the third he is covering his face with his hand, mid-giggle. Hands drifting to faces is one of the most common gestures across the whole series.
Portrait 4. A woman in a red bandana, nose ring and black T-shirt goes from a straight face to a scrunched-up grimace after the first glass, as if reacting to the taste or to a joke off camera. In the second and third frames she beams with a wide red-lipstick smile. Her set is a reminder that one frame can catch a passing moment rather than a trend.
Portrait 5. A woman with voluminous curls smiles warmly from the start. Between glasses she changes outfit details and, by the third, has pulled her hair up into a high bun and is laughing openly. The relaxed pose says as much as the expression.
Portrait 6. A woman with platinum hair and dark-rimmed glasses begins with a shy half-smile. Her grin widens with each glass, and in the last frame she is playfully biting a bright orange object for the camera. Props and small antics like this appear more often as the evening goes on.
Portrait 7. A dark-haired man arrives still wearing his leather jacket, a small detail that captures the moment of walking in from the street. The jacket is gone by the first glass, and his smile grows steadily through the next two. Clothing changes across the frames are a quiet record of people settling in.
Portrait 8. A woman with long brown hair and a floral blouse starts with a composed, camera-ready smile. By the second and third glasses she tilts her head and her smile becomes broader and more natural. Her set shows the shift from posing to simply enjoying the moment.
Portrait 9. A man with slicked-back hair in a blue polo gives a knowing smirk at the start. By the third glass he is leaning right into the lens with raised eyebrows, filling the frame. Leaning towards the camera, rather than standing back from it, is a sign of growing comfort with the photographer.
Portrait 10. A balding man with a beard arrives in a checked shirt and changes into a printed T-shirt partway through the evening. His expression moves from a tired neutral look to a wide, toothy grin. It is one of the clearest illustrations of Alberti's idea of capturing people fresh from a long working day.
Portrait 11. A blonde woman in a floral top keeps a cool, composed face for the first two frames. After the second glass she gives the camera a cheeky wink, and after the third she is hiding her laughing face behind her scarf. Her set has one of the biggest swings from reserved to playful.
Portrait 12. A red-haired woman in a black blazer begins with a serious, almost editorial expression and red lips. Her later frames show a sideways glance, a tilted head and finally a hand over her mouth as she glances off to the side. It looks like someone just out of shot said something funny.
Portrait 13. The woman in the yellow lace top from the header image appears again here, frame by frame. She moves from a sweet, slightly shy smile to a hand-over-the-face laugh, and finishes with a wink and her tongue out. Her final frame became one of the most shared images of the project.
Portrait 14. A woman with long dark hair and a grey top offers a soft, reserved smile on arrival. She tilts her head and laughs at the second glass, then appears quieter again at the third, with her hair a little more tousled. Not every set builds steadily; some peak in the middle.
Portrait 15. A woman with long dark hair smiles gently at first, and with each glass her grin gets broader and her face moves closer to the lens. By the end she is beaming. Her set is a simple, warm example of the series' general pattern.
Portrait 16. A man with dark-rimmed glasses and an olive shirt laughs widely after the first glass, then pulls a comic tight-lipped face for the second. By the third he is squinting with a big smile, glasses slightly askew. He seems to be playing with the camera rather than simply reacting to it.
Portrait 17. A man in a yellow checked shirt starts out with a slightly puzzled look. After one glass he raises his eyebrows sceptically, after two he looks pleased with himself, and after three he is laughing with his eyes shut. His face runs through a whole short story in four frames.
Portrait 18. A man in a pale yellow polo is cheerful in every frame, and what changes most is his hair, which grows steadily messier. His smile becomes more lopsided and relaxed as the evening goes on. Small details like this are easy to miss until you compare the frames side by side.
Portraits 19 to 36
Portrait 19. A bald, bearded man takes off his checked overshirt after the first round. His smile grows into a full beaming grin at the second glass, and by the third he is squinting with laughter. Bald heads and full beards make his changing expression especially easy to read.
Portrait 20. This man arrives still wearing a cycling helmet and backpack, having clearly just ridden to the studio. Once the helmet is off, his hair sticks up and his grin gets wider with every frame. It is a perfect example of the "arriving from the commute" first photo Alberti set out to capture.
Portrait 21. A man with a buzz cut and a leather jacket smirks at the start. After the second glass he is looking down and laughing, as if caught off guard, and by the third he is grinning back at the camera. The downward glance is a common reaction to being photographed while laughing.
Portrait 22. A dark-haired man in a leather jacket and white shirt barely changes at all, keeping the same small, composed smile from first frame to last. His set is a useful counterpoint: wine does not transform everyone. Personality, mood and comfort in front of a camera all play a part.
Portrait 23. A bald man with a goatee removes his jacket early and keeps his expression measured through the first two glasses. By the third he breaks into a wide, toothy grin. Some people simply take longer to warm up.
Portrait 24. A woman with dark curly hair starts with a neutral, slightly tired face. With each glass her smile grows, and in the last frame she has her hands behind her head in a stretched-out, relaxed pose. Body language here tells as much of the story as the face.
Portrait 25. A bearded man in a black cap looks down shyly on the first glass and, by the second, has pulled his cap low over his eyes. By the third he is smirking directly at the camera. His set is a nice example of shyness turning into mischief.
Portrait 26. A woman with long dark hair and a red strap top begins calm and serious. Her smile becomes warmer at the first glass and turns into a big open grin by the third. Her necklace and posture stay the same, so all the change is in her face.
Portrait 27. A woman with fair hair and red lipstick wears a leather jacket over a Jack Daniel's T-shirt, an amusing choice for a wine shoot. She smiles more broadly with each glass and is laughing with her head thrown back by the end. Her bright red lips make the change especially vivid.
Portrait 28. A man in glasses and a grey polka-dot polo starts completely deadpan. By the second glass his eyes have crinkled shut in a broad smile, and he stays that way. Deadpan-to-delighted is one of the most satisfying arcs in the series.
Portrait 29. A man in glasses and a patterned shirt smiles from the start. By the final frame his glasses are off and he is laughing with his eyes closed. Removed glasses, scarves and jackets crop up across the series as people loosen up.
Portrait 30. A woman with long auburn curls and dramatic eye make-up gives an unimpressed pout after her first glass. At the second she covers her mouth with her hand, and by the third she is grinning widely. It is a good example of expression rather than appearance doing the storytelling.
Portrait 31. A bearded man in a dark checked shirt goes through a slow, steady warming: a tired neutral look, a small smile, a broader smile and finally a relaxed grin. Nothing dramatic happens, which is exactly the point. Many people in the series change only gently.
Portrait 32. A young man in a leather jacket, which comes off after the first frame, shows very little change across the evening. His expression moves from neutral to a faint, amused smile. Like a few others in the project, he seems to hold his reactions close.
Portrait 33. A woman with dark hair and a navy leather jacket smiles politely on arrival. By the second glass her hair is looser and her smile is wide and bright, and she stays happily relaxed at the third. Her set shows the "second glass is about love" stage quite literally.
Portrait 34. A young blonde woman in a grey top and a statement necklace looks wary at first. She smiles more and more, and by the third glass the necklace has come off. It is a small sign of someone feeling more at home.
Portrait 35. A woman with long brown hair in a black top smiles cheekily from the first glass on. By the second she tilts her head right over, and by the third she pulls a pursed-lip kissy face for the lens. Her set has some of the most theatrical poses in the series.
Portrait 36. A man in a grey blazer and green T-shirt starts with a closed-mouth smile and then bursts into laughter at the first glass. By the second he is roaring with laughter, and the joy stays through the third. His frames are among the most infectious in the series.
Portraits 37 to 53
Portrait 37. A young woman with a fringe, tattoos and layered necklaces gives a cool, steady stare in the first two frames. After the second glass she covers her face with a laugh, and by the third her hair has fallen across her face as she laughs. Her shift from guarded to giggling is one of the most dramatic.
Portrait 38. A young man with a large mass of curly hair and a striped T-shirt smiles shyly at first. His grin widens through the evening, and by the third glass his curls have fallen over half his face. The hair alone makes this set fun to compare.
Portrait 39. A woman with long dark hair and a white blouse starts with a slight smile, then puckers her lips sceptically after the first glass. By the second and third she is laughing with her eyes squeezed shut. Laughter with closed eyes is one of the most reliable signs of a genuine, spontaneous smile.
Portrait 40. A man in a red T-shirt and black leather jacket smiles comfortably from the first frame. By the third glass his eyes are closed and his grin has gone soft and content. His changes are gentle but easy to see.
Portrait 41. A bearded man in glasses and a blue checked shirt gives a sly, sideways smile on arrival. He tilts his head and his hair gets steadily messier, ending in a cheerful, slightly rumpled grin. He looks like he is enjoying a long-running joke.
Portrait 42. A man in a green polo and black jacket wears a wide-eyed, slightly manic smile by the first glass. His grin gets bigger and toothier with each round. The intensity of his expression contrasts nicely with calmer participants.
Portrait 43. A woman with long auburn hair and a black top hides her face in both hands after her first glass, as if embarrassed or laughing at something. After the second she is pulling her hair up with both hands, and after the third she is laughing openly at the camera. Her set has a lot of movement for a simple face-and-wall format.
Portrait 44. A dark-haired man in a crisp white shirt is already smiling broadly when he walks in. His expression barely changes, staying cheerful in every frame. Not everyone needs wine to look relaxed in front of a camera.
Portrait 45. An older man with a grey beard and a navy jumper has a twinkle in his eye from the start. By the third glass his face has crumpled into a squinting laugh. Laughter lines become very visible in his final frame.
Portrait 46. A young bearded man in black smiles warmly after the first and second glasses. By the third he raises one eyebrow and squints at the camera with a comic sceptical look. Some participants seem to get more playful, not just happier.
Portrait 47. A man with curly hair and a white shirt patterned with elephants smiles more with each glass. In the final frame he is biting into a snack for the camera, a reminder that food was part of the evening too. The first glass, as the old saying goes, is about food.
Portrait 48. A woman with short hair, a white top and a small cross necklace starts with a gentle, tired smile. Her smile quickly opens up and her eyes crinkle, staying warm through the last two frames. Her set shows how much the eyes change when a smile is genuine.
Portrait 49. A man with dark curly hair and a black hoodie over a white V-neck is smiling cheerfully from the first frame. His smile grows a little wider but his mood stays much the same. He looks like someone who arrived already in good spirits.
Portrait 50. A man in a black V-neck starts with a quiet smirk. After the second glass he is laughing with his mouth wide open, then settles back into a satisfied grin at the third. His set peaks in the middle, like a few others.
Portrait 51. A woman with her hair tied back and statement earrings starts composed. By the second glass her hair is down, and by the third she is laughing openly with her head back. Letting hair down, quite literally, is a recurring sign of relaxation in the series.
Portrait 52. A man in a grey beanie and plaid shirt over a band T-shirt smiles easily throughout. His grin is broadest at the second glass, then softens slightly at the third. He looks like a natural in front of the camera.
Portrait 53. The final portrait shows a man with short dark hair in a black V-neck, grinning from the first glass on. His smile stays wide and consistent to the end. It closes the series on the same warm note that runs through most of the 53 sets.
What the photos show, and what they don't
Look through all 53 sets and a few patterns stand out. Smiles widen, eyes crinkle, heads tilt, jackets and glasses come off, and hands start drifting up to faces. People who look guarded on arrival often end up laughing, while a few hardly change at all.
It is tempting to credit all of that to the wine, but the project was never a controlled experiment, and Alberti did not present it as one. Several other things were happening at the same time:
- Time and company. Guests spent the evening chatting with friends. Anyone relaxes after an hour or two of good conversation and food.
- Getting used to the camera. The first photo was taken the moment people walked in, still in "work mode". By the fourth, most had stopped posing.
- Selection. These are the frames the photographer chose to publish, and a single frame can freeze a passing expression.
Alcohol does play a part. In small amounts it lowers inhibitions and can make people feel more sociable and talkative, which is partly why it is so closely tied to celebrations. But the same effect also dulls judgement and slows reactions, and it keeps building with every drink.
A word on wine and health
The series is a celebration of friendship and photography, not a recommendation to drink. Health agencies have become clearer about this in recent years. In January 2023 the World Health Organization's European office stated that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health, noting that alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including bowel and female breast cancer, and is classed as a Group 1 carcinogen.
That does not mean a glass of wine with friends is a disaster, but it does mean the old idea of wine as a health drink does not hold up. If you drink, it helps to keep it occasional and moderate, eat while you do, alternate with water, and never drive afterwards. If you are pregnant, take medication or are worried about how much you drink, talk to a doctor.
Perhaps the nicest lesson of the Wine Project has nothing to do with the bottle. Put people in a room with friends, give them time and something to talk about, and the tired faces of a working day soften into laughter. That works just as well with coffee, tea or a long dinner.
For another portrait series built on one simple idea, see Brian Dowling’s Redhead Beauty: Portraits Across Countries.
Sources: photographs by Marcos Alberti, Wine Project (Masmorra Studio); PetaPixel, 8 April 2016; AOL: new photos from the 2016 project; WHO Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (2023).
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