Wine: I did it again...this time with red wine

[Mike Buckley]

A couple days ago, I made my first photograph of wine being poured shown in this thread. That photo is of white wine, so I had to make one using red wine if for no other reason than that Manfred insisted upon it.

In theory (though I suspect that it may be nothing other than marketing foo-foo), the ideal method of decanting wine involves a three-part process. First, the user pours the wine as slowly as possible down the side of the decanter's neck, not into the middle. Second, the decanter then distributes the poured wine all around the sides of the vessel so it is aerated as much as possible on its way down to the bottom of the decanter. Last, the bowl of the decanter should be as wide as possible. That's because the top surface of the wine exposed to the air will be as large as possible.

I knew my wine decanter was designed to disburse the wine all around the sides and that it seemed to do so rather well. It wasn't until I used a flash in this photo to stop the action of the wine that I realized how effectively the decanter does that. I really have no idea if that process truly aerates the wine to such a degree that it matters, but you do have to admit that it makes a great story.

The wine is a moderately expensive 2011 pinot noir made by Belle Glos Wines in Sonoma County, California's Russian River Valley. I had been saving it for a special occasion. However, I chose it for this photo because I liked how the color and shape of the neck and its wax covering would enhance the photo. Now that the bottle has been opened, I have no choice but to cook a special meal this weekend to complement the wine. Serious photography definitely has its rewards.

Note to Terry: I ruined one-fourth of the textured, white watercolor paper when a few drops of wine dripped down the outside of the decanter onto the tabletop.

[Shadowman]

Nice, the bottle doesn't catch the light so well. I'd shoot with the bottle out of frame and just have the liquid visible.

[Donald]

Compliments to you, Mike. Another 'top drawer' image. Colour and light are magnificent.

ps - Enjoy the wine. Just had a quick look for tasting notes on the 2011: "Bright, deep garnet color. Aromas of cola, blackberries and a sweet cedar note. A greatly layered palette abundant in flavor and texture. The first entry encases the mouth with a velvety richness. Then the wine unloads with flavors of bright cherry, cola, dried leaves undertoned with vanilla, leather and high style oak. The many layers emerge independently, then refocus while the supple tannins carry the wine through to a lingering, succulent finish". Sounds like it's going to be a pleasurable experience.

[Manfred M]

Another fine shot Mike; although somehow it seems a bit busier than your other work.

I like the way that you have the wine swirling as it pours into the decanter, but I find the wine bottle itself a bit heavy in the image that takes away from the rest of the content, which is so delicate and light.

My thoughts echo what John has written.

[Colin Southern]

I know nothing about fine wine or correct wine handling procedures -- so all I can say is "great image", with my only other thought being "visually, I wonder if the image would be enhanced if the neck of the bottle weren't touching the top of the glass?".

[wlou]

Great picture Mike. The swirl of the wine in the bottle is amazing. Simplicity of composition could bring our eyes more on the decanter. Now I opened this at 7:30am my time and I am drooling at the tough of a great juicy steak with that. And I don't eat much meat. So there is something in your image and also in the taste description that Donald made about the wine. As we cannot see "taste" yet with our eyes I think you have a complex subject here.
First the great glass photography,
second the movement of the wine in the decanter and
third a possible food photography subject.
Ain't photography a great adventure.
Do tell what you will cook to go with it.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

Donald: I make a point of keeping a bottle of this wine in the house because it's a particularly good pinot noir.

Colin: You live in a perfect country to learn about wine if you ever decide to do so. Your sauvignon blancs and pinot noirs are as good as any made anywhere in the world. I always have the Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc and the Cloudy Bay pinot noir at the ready. Your country also led the way on using screw-cap closures.

Thanks also to everyone for your comments about the composition:

I agree that it would have been better to have the wine bottle higher above the top of the decanter. The problem is that I'm a total klutz. In a normal pouring situation, I would place the decanter directly in front of me and carefully pour the wine. In this situation, I had to stand to the side and with my hand on a different part of the bottle to ensure that my hand would not be included in the photo. As a result, I found it safer to rest the bottle on the lip of the decanter. Anyone with normal physical abilities wouldn't have had to do that.

There's also no question that this photo is a bit busier than the photos that I usually make and that was by intention. I wanted to tell the story of the wine being prepared for drinking and that story, for me, required including the four empty wine glasses.

I also agree that the bottle seems a bit heavy in the image but I also like the context that it provides.

I might try shooting the photo so it doesn't include the glasses and with only a small part of the bottle included. The framing in such a composition would allow me to hold the bottle in a more comfortable position that would allow me to attend to the issues already discussed above. That will be for another day, as I've got this current composition so ingrained in my mind that I can't get immediately excited about any other setting.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Louise!

It's interesting that the idea of wine is appealing to you at 7:30am. When I was in South Africa, I was at a winery that was conducting wine tastings at 9:00am. I can't imagine ever drinking wine before noon, though I don't know why.

I'll prepare a modified version of this recipe. Fortunately, a local butcher prepares pulled pork, so I don't have to cook or pull the pork. I'll back off on the smoky nature of the recipe more than usual to ensure that it's not too much for this particular wine.

It was a total coincidence that a good friend of mine introduced me at a charity benefit to the father of the chef who created that recipe. He explained that his son dropped out of college to start a restaurant and that he had been named one of the top ten up and coming American chefs to appear in the very next issue of Food and Wine magazine to be released. Sure enough, his son's recipe was the only one in that issue that seemed appealing and it's now a favorite.

[wlou]

The recipe sound just delicious. The meal and wine was what appealed to me as I did not have breakfast yet. I am one of those people that can imagine a taste and actually taste it. I have a friend who is incapable of imagining lemon juice, she has to actually taste it . If I think of lemon, I can recall all the bitterness, the freshness and actually have a mouth watering reaction. I think it is why the wine descriptions are all about things we can relate to like:cherries,vanilla,oak, velvety etc.

[deetheturk]

Super image Mike!

[Mike Buckley]

If I think of lemon, I can recall all the bitterness, the freshness and actually have a mouth watering reaction.

That also happens to me but only when I think of chocolate or really good chardonnay made in Meursault, France.

I think it is why the wine descriptions are all about things we can relate to like:cherries,vanilla,oak, velvety etc.

The only individual flavors I can taste in wine are green apple or citrus and only when those flavors are unusually prevalent in white wine. I envy you that you can taste so many flavors.

[Brownbear]

Breathtakingly beautiful!

Makes me think of dark chocolate and strawberries for breakfast

[Mike Buckley]

dark chocolate and strawberries for breakfast

My kind of breakfast! Lighter chocolate would never be good enough.

[Brownbear]

Agreed!

Actually I should've said that your beautiful image brings to mind a very special dinner in a castle in Europe, and that it makes me crave dark chocolate and strawberries for breakfast!

I love the colour and the pink tones. It's loaded with romanticism... Just two glasses would also be exquisite.

My kind of breakfast! Lighter chocolate would never be good enough.

[Loose Canon]

Mike this is, without a doubt, the coolest, most dynamic shot you have done. And I might add that is with me loving every shot you have done to date.

The pour is excellent and the decanter and swirling liquid blows me away. This is very cool and I hope to see some more of this kind of work coming out of MSS,Inc!

I take it that the BG is close enough that the red tint is coming from the decanter?

Sorry to hear about the paper casualty! That darn watercolor paper don’t grow on trees you know!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Terry!

The background is a flash positioned behind translucent vellum shining directly toward the subject and camera. Any reflection of the wine that might have appeared on the background would have been overpowered by the flash.

The lavender color in the background and tabletop was added during post-processing. Without it, the image looked like a black-and-white image with selective color used on the wine and wine bottle.

The red color on the tabletop beneath the decanter is a reflection of the wine.

That darn watercolor paper don’t grow on trees you know!

It doesn't grow on trees but it does come from trees. Now the radical segment of the environmentalists is going to be mad at me.

[Mike Buckley]

Hmmmm. I just now thought of a way to include a couple of glasses but to make the image in a more simple style. That's for next week after my custom-made stand is built, which will make it much easier to change to the required setup.

[Loose Canon]

The red overall tint totally works Mike.

Hey? If you feel like it post a shot of your new stand when you get it. I just recently made a new stand out of an old tripod I had laying around and am really liking it. But I'd like to see what you got going.

[Mike Buckley]

I'll be sure to post a photo of my new stand. It will be far superior to my pair of sawhorses. I hired a really talented handyman to make the stand. If I had made it, it would have already been made by now. It also would have fallen apart by now.

[Plumcrak]

The only thought in my head right now is "Stunning"!! Another amazing image.