Wine: The colors of white wine

[Mike Buckley]

This is meant to be a documentary photo rather than an artistic photo. I always enjoy the various colors of white wine when drinking it and have had this shot on my to-do list for quite awhile. Light shines through white wine more than red wine, making it easier to appreciate the difference in colors.

Just to put color into perspective and to add a little whimsical humor, I included the apéritif on the far right. It's also made from a white wine grape though the dark color is probably the result of fortification. It's a Madeira, which is fortified with neutral grape spirits (distilled wine), probably brandy but I'm not sure, to increase the amount of alcohol.

The wine grapes from left to right are riesling, chenin blanc, chardonnay and sercial.

[wlou]

Great, 4 opened bottles of good wine, is there a party? You are a master at shooting glass.Humm, all the play on words one could do here. The bottles could make for an interesting shot as well.

[Mike Buckley]

It's actually seven open bottles of wine, Louise. The other three didn't have enough difference in color. We have no party planned but the wine won't go bad. Wine lasts a LOT longer than most people think. The fortified wine on the right will easily last for months, and might have to because I'm not a fan of it.

[NorthernFocus]

Nice comparison, Mike. Even within a given varietal there is a good bit of variation. I drink mostly sauvignon blanc. Some labels are nearly as clear as water and the darkest versions look about like your midrange above. It may be psychological but the paler versions seem to be less sweet.

[Mike Buckley]

It may be psychological but the paler versions seem to be less sweet.

You're correct that it's apparently a psychological thing with you. The color has nothing to do with how sweet or dry the wine is.

Even within a given varietal there is a good bit of variation.

No question about that.

[bnnrcn]

I like the composition and the shadows framing the wine in the glasses

[Mike Buckley]

the shadows framing the wine in the glasses

Thanks for mentioning that but those aren't shadows. I'll explain what causes those black areas to appear in the wine.

Transparent and translucent liquids act as a lens. The liquid in this scene is stored in a curved, clear glass, so the liquid lens acts much like a fish eye lens. In this case, the light source is behind the wine and is shining through a background of translucent white plexiglass housed in a black frame. The dark areas of the image that frame the wine are actually that black frame being captured by the liquid lens; without that liquid lens (in this case, multiple liquid lenses), that part of the background would not be included in the photo.

I especially appreciate you mentioning the black framing of the wine because the amount of framing is within my control. If I move the glasses farther from the background (closer to the camera), that black area widens and becomes a larger part of the wine. That's because the liquid lens captures a larger area of the black portion of the background that is otherwise not included in the photo. Similarly, if I move the glasses closer to the background (farther from the camera), that black area narrows and becomes a smaller part of the wine. That's because the liquid lens captures a smaller portion of the black background.

[bnnrcn]

Thanks for explaining, very interesting technique

[Brownbear]

Thank you for sharing... Beautifully photographed and very informative. I adore the inclusion of the wee glass of red wine on the end - artistic whether you intended it to be or not.

Aside... Have the colours changed for this forum? Dark green background and different shades of green everywhere else (except in your images) ie; my monitor is still calibrated correctly?

[Mike Buckley]

Have the colours changed for this forum?

Nope. I can think of two possible explanations, the first one being most likely:

• The gremlins temporarily took over your viewing of the forum; or
• You accidentally changed the forum style. Look for the dropdown menu in the lower left corner of the window.

[Brownbear]

Thanks Mike. I didn't change the forum style and as much as I would like to blame it on the gremlins I think my monitor just needed to be calibrated. I haven't done so for a month or two (thinking an LCD screen didn't need it so often) but yesterday after calibrating the images on my screen are definitely darker, and this morning everything still appears as various shades of a dark hunter green. I will watch and see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Nope. I can think of two possible explanations, the first one being most likely:

• The gremlins temporarily took over your viewing of the forum; or
• You accidentally changed the forum style. Look for the dropdown menu in the lower left corner of the window.