On June 11, 2025, The Prisoner Wine Company celebrated the third installment of its groundbreaking Corrections series at artist and activist Jesse Krimes’ Center for Art & Advocacy in New York. The annual limited-edition release merges fine wine with social justice, transforming bottles into powerful statements on mass incarceration—and this year’s 2022 Reserve Red Blend is perhaps its most compelling yet.
A Label with a Legacy
This year’s bottle features a striking image from Krimes’ Purgatory series, a body of work currently on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of his critically acclaimed solo exhibition, Corrections. The collaboration between The Prisoner and Krimes—alongside a network of formerly incarcerated artists—has turned each vintage into a collector’s item with a cause.
Since its inception, the Corrections series has served as both an artistic platform and a fundraising tool, providing grants to justice-impacted artists while sparking dialogue around criminal justice reform. Purgatory is a piece that he made while in solitary confinement that encapsulated the state of limbo that Krimes was experiencing. “For me the whole idea behind the project was to complicate the notion of who we view as an offender” says Krimes, who himself created art while in federal prison before becoming a leading voice for reform.
An Evening of Art, Wine, and Activism
The launch event was more than a tasting—it was a call to action. Attendees had the first opportunity to sample the 2022 Reserve Red Blend, a bold, layered wine with notes of dark fruit and spice, while engaging with the artists behind the initiative.
A highlight of the evening was the introduction of next year’s finalists, a group of justice-impacted creators whose work will be considered for the 2026 label.
Beyond the bottle, the Corrections series supports the Center for Art & Advocacy’s mission to amplify artists affected by the prison system. Proceeds from the wine fund grants, residencies, and advocacy programs, ensuring that the conversation doesn’t end with the last pour.
As Krimes’ exhibition at The Met continues to draw crowds, and The Prisoner’s latest release hits shelves, one thing is clear: art and activism have never tasted so compelling.
