The Art of the Wine Pour

by

KATHRYN O’MALLEY

Everyone knows that there’s an art to making wine—but what about capturing it on camera? How do you turn the wine pour itself into a piece of art? To portray the magic of wine in a single shot, you need to stimulate the viewer’s senses and most importantly, convey a sense of movement. Here’s how.

BACKLIGHTING

Lighting directed towards the camera, from behind the glass, gives the wine a lovely, glowing hue.

FLAVOR CUES

A barrel in the background of the photo grounds the scene and suggests rich notes of oak.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

A custom rig, created by Geoff BinnsCalvey, pumps wine continuously through the bottom of a wine bottle and into a special wine glass. Although you can’t see it, there’s a small tube connected to the bottom of the glass that lets Geoff control how high—or how low—the wine flows. This, of course, makes timing the photo much easier.