Space is full of vibrations. Vibrations which originate in the
excitation of bodies and are a manifestation of their energy. Some of these vibrations are
electromagnetic in nature and are called radiations. 
The radiation that our eyes can see we call light, of which we see
brightness and colour
- Brightness:
Brightness is the amount of radiation we perceive. We are sensitive
to a wide range of brightness. At the extremes, we can be blinded by extremely bright
light, that is to say, saturated, and an excessively weak light may not get past our
sensitivity threshold and make us feel we are in the dark.
- The colour of light:
We perceive different wavelengths in different ways. These different
impressions are given the name colour.
Bodies emit and absorb different wavelengths, that is, different
colours, which when they reach our senses mixed together give complex impressions; to each
one of these corresponds a colour from the infinite range in existence.
The colours of wine cover a range from yellow to red
(from 790 nm to 490 nm).
The colour of bodies:
The colour of a body we perceive is that of the radiation it does not
absorb. Some bodies are opaque to light and we perceive only the colour of their surface;
others, like glass, are transparent and let light through, and we perceive the colour of
their entire volume.
Wine is a transparent
fluid. Its colour is that of the light that it does not absorb but allows to pass through.
A red wine is red because it allows red radiation to pass through and absorbs all the
others.
For this reason, to observe a wine we
should put it in a beam of white light, that which contains the greatest chromatic
richness, so the liquid can absorb and let through more shades and hues.
- The eye is a wonderful sensor in the shape of small globe
which transforms beams of light into nerve impulses by means of which the brain constructs
images.
We share the organ of sight with most
living beings and each of them obtains their own vision of the perceivable world.
The human eye
- This is an extremely accurate organ able to notice subtle nuances in the radiation to
which it is sensitive. For this it uses two different systems. An optic system and a
neurological system.
The optic system is formed by the cornea and the lens.
The neurological system is formed by the retina and the optic nerve.
- Colouring
Colouring is information and it reveals numerous properties of the
perceived world: the green of leaves tells us about their function, the presence of
chlorophyll. The black of clouds tell us they bear rain. But colour, like all information,
gives rise to feelings:
Green leaves suggest spring, youth, freshness. Black clouds feel
threatening, disturbing, imposing.
Colour greatly influences our appetite for food and drink. Certain
cold colours, like blue, are not food colours.
Similarly, the colour of a wine tells us
about its body, age and character, and suggests feelings. Overall, the colour impressions
of a wine are always warm to our minds. Light, cheerful colours (yellows and greens) or
deep to torrid (pink and red) at the same time convey vital intensity, power and
intellectuality.
- Clarity
There are opaque bodies and bodies which let the light through. Light
is dispersed within them more or less intensely according to the size of the particles
they contain.
Opaqueness suggests coldness, hardness, lack of understanding.
Transparency, warmth, clarity, communication. However, some bodies are completely free of
dispersing particles, and in our eyes they appear filled with light and shades of colour.
Wine is one of these.
- Clear, transparent, shining jewel like; as sensual as a flower and
as appetising as a piece of fruit, we associate wine visually with flowers, fruit and
jewels to express our sensations and convey our feelings.
|
