Wine n’ About | A few too many or a glass too big?
Wine n' Culture
A few too many or a glass too big?

A recent study from the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge has determined that serving wine in larger glasses makes people drink more. It is believed that how we perceive the amount of wine in a glass is what spurs us to do so. The study, published in the BMC Public health journal, was based on the theory that larger plates entice us to eat more as well.

The research team analyzed a local pub’s wine sales for five months. They asked the owners to change the wine glass sizes every two weeks from the standard 300 ml glass to a larger 370 ml glass and eventually to a smaller 250 ml glass.

Photo: https://www.biomedcentral.com

Although the same amount of wine was served throughout the study, the researchers noticed sales going up by 14.4 percent in the bar area and 8.2 percent in the restaurant when wine was served in the larger 370 ml glass.

Interestingly, the opposite effect didn’t occur when they switched to smaller wine glasses. The Huffington post reports the lead author of the study, Dr. Rachel Pechey, saying that it is not yet clear why this is the case. “One reason may be that larger glasses change our perceptions of the amount of wine, leading us to drink faster and order more,” Pechey told the Huffington post.

The study has already given rise to the idea that a standard size wine glass should become an alcohol-licensing requirement.

So next time you’ve had a few too many, you’ll know who to blame.