Interested in a little light reading?

Wine bottle glass colors are carefully chosen to preserve wine integrity and improve marketability. Image Source: Flickr user Alex Brown

I feel blessed to live in one of the most beautiful areas in our country. The Pacific NW offers the perfect climate and landscape for summer recreation and one way to enjoy the great outdoors is to spend a Sunday afternoon driving through the hills and valleys of this region. A quick drive into the country can lead to beautiful landscapes covered with rolling vineyards and architecturally beautiful wineries. The wine industry has grown significantly in this area over the past several decades and in just an afternoon you can stop by more than a handful of destinations and sample a large variety of fine wines. On our last winery tour I was given yet another lesson on wine tasting, but this time the conversation was not about the actual wine itself. In fact, I spent nearly an hour with the vintner discussing wine bottle glass colors. You may be wondering how the color of the bottles could possible warrant that much attention, but in truth it plays a significant role in wine integrity and marketability.

Most wine connoisseurs know that proper storage conditions greatly affect the quality of wines. Light and high temperatures are the main culprits for altering wine integrity and can have a direct effect on taste and color. “Studies have shown that the color of the glass affects the color and aroma of the wine within when exposed to light; specifically it was found that green bottles have a greater protective effect against light than lighter colored bottles when held at a constant temperature. Interestingly, other studies have found the exact opposite, so it’s not completely clear what is going on inside those bottles when exposed to light.”1. Glass color measurement provides insight on how light affects wine after bottling and can help wine producers make important choices when it comes to bottling quality wines.

Monitoring glass color with advanced spectral technology provides the data needed to make the best choices in bottling options. Image Source: Flickr user dpotera

My driving habits changed when I got my commercial driver’s license. I started parallel parking like I was shooting pool. I slowed way down. And I started paying much more attention to traffic signs. Large vehicles react more slowly than smaller ones. An accident involving a large vehicle will be more serious. To drive safely, I needed to make decisions well ahead of time. With my attention divided between the condition of my vehicle, other vehicles, pedestrians, road conditions, and navigation, I needed to quickly and easily identify traffic signs. Color differences and reflectivity of signs made this possible. Without them, the roads would be far less safe to drive.

Warning signs are color coded to keep motorists safe. Image Credit: Flickr User Jay Galvin (CC BY 2.0)

My driving habits changed when I got my commercial driver’s license. I started parallel parking like I was shooting pool. I slowed way down. And I started paying much more attention to traffic signs. Large vehicles react more slowly than smaller ones. An accident involving a large vehicle will be more serious. To drive safely, I needed to make decisions well ahead of time. With my attention divided between the condition of my vehicle, other vehicles, pedestrians, road conditions, and navigation, I needed to quickly and easily identify traffic signs. Color differences and reflectivity of signs made this possible. Without them, the roads would be far less safe to drive.

Warning signs are color coded to keep motorists safe. Image Credit: Flickr User Jay Galvin (CC BY 2.0)

Meine Fahrgewohnheiten änderten sich, als ich meinen gewerblichen Führerschein machte. Ich fing an, parallel zu parken, als würde ich Billard spielen. Ich bin viel langsamer geworden. Und ich habe angefangen, viel mehr auf Verkehrsschilder zu achten. Große Fahrzeuge reagieren langsamer als kleine Fahrzeuge. Ein Unfall, in den ein großes Fahrzeug verwickelt ist, ist ernster. Um sicher zu fahren, musste ich rechtzeitig Entscheidungen treffen. Da meine Aufmerksamkeit zwischen dem Zustand meines Fahrzeugs, anderen Fahrzeugen, Fußgängern, dem Straßenzustand und der Navigation aufgeteilt war, musste ich Verkehrszeichen schnell und einfach erkennen können. Farbunterschiede und Reflexionsvermögen der Schilder machten dies möglich. Ohne sie wären die Straßen weit weniger sicher zu befahren.

Die Warnschilder sind farblich gekennzeichnet, um die Sicherheit der Autofahrer zu gewährleisten. Bildnachweis: Flickr User Jay Galvin (CC BY 2.0)

Mis hábitos de conducción cambiaron cuando me saqué el carné de conducir comercial. Empecé a aparcar en paralelo como si estuviera jugando al billar. Disminuí mucho la velocidad. Y empecé a prestar mucha más atención a las señales de tráfico. Los vehículos grandes reaccionan más despacio que los pequeños. Un accidente en el que esté implicado un vehículo grande será más grave. Para conducir con seguridad, tenía que tomar decisiones con mucha antelación. Con mi atención dividida entre el estado de mi vehículo, los demás vehículos, los peatones, las condiciones de la carretera y la navegación, necesitaba identificar rápida y fácilmente las señales de tráfico. Las diferencias de color y la reflectividad de las señales lo hacían posible. Sin ellas, las carreteras serían mucho menos seguras para conducir.

Las señales de advertencia están codificadas por colores para mantener seguros a los automovilistas. Crédito de la imagen: Usuario de Flickr Jay Galvin (CC BY 2.0)

商用運転免許を取得したとき、私の運転習慣は変わった。ビリヤードをするように縦列駐車をするようになった。スピードも遅くなった。そして交通標識にもっと注意を払うようになった。大型車は小型車よりも反応が遅い。大型車の事故はより深刻になる。安全に運転するためには、前もって十分な判断を下す必要があった。自分の車の状態、他の車、歩行者、道路状況、そしてナビゲーションに注意を振り分けながら、私は交通標識を素早く簡単に識別する必要があった。それを可能にしたのが、標識の色の違いと反射率だった。標識がなければ、道路を安全に運転することはできないだろう。

警告標識はドライバーの安全を守るために色分けされている。画像出典：Flickrユーザー Jay Galvin (CC BY 2.0)

“Hey, Bill!” asks the juvenile sporting goods salesman. “Can I have the pool table? Nobody’s gonna buy it.” Bill sighs. Thirty-five more years until retirement. “Isn’t that your job, Pete?” he asks. “Selling pool tables?” Pete runs his hand through his hair to smooth down his cowlick. It immediately sticks right back up. “I can sell the other pool tables fine,” he says. “I sold three pool tables this morning. But nobody wants to buy this one. The legs are different colors. They come in and they say ‘I want a pool table,’ so I say ‘How about this one’ and they say ‘No, the legs are different colors.’ Then I show them another one and they buy that one. So can I just have this one? We’re never gonna sell it.” I’m too old for this, thinks Bill. And I’m only twenty-six. “No,” he says. “Sell the pool table, Pete. You can start by dusting it off. Call me if you need me.” “Where are you going?” Pete asks. “To go call the manufacturer and yell at them for sending us a pool table with different colored legs,” says Bill. “Will that help?” asks Pete. “No,” says Bill. “But it’ll make me feel better.”

An off-colored leg would ruin the way this dark cherry blends with its surroundings. Image Credit: Flickr User dr.coop (CC BY 2.0)