WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Are Wine Glasses Getting Bigger?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, I'm Lauren vogel Bomb. In today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>is another classic from our archives. During this pandemic, we've

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<v Speaker 1>all been focused more on health and wellness, and for

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<v Speaker 1>many of us that's included taking a look at our

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<v Speaker 1>relationship with alcohol. As with anything we consume, portion size matters,

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<v Speaker 1>So it was really interesting to revisit this episode, which

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<v Speaker 1>deals with the finding that wine glasses have doubled in

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<v Speaker 1>size over the past twenty years or so. Hi brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vogel Bomb. Here. Those of us who imbibe have

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<v Speaker 1>all said it, I'll just have one glass of wine,

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<v Speaker 1>but even if you stick to that, you might want

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<v Speaker 1>to consider how your supposed single serving actually measures up.

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<v Speaker 1>That's because, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge,

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<v Speaker 1>wine glasses of modern day Brits are now seven times

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<v Speaker 1>the size of their imbibing predecessors three years ago, and

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<v Speaker 1>those glass sizes have increased the most in the last

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<v Speaker 1>two decades, accompanying the rise in vino consumption. Until the

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<v Speaker 1>second half of the twentieth century, beer and spirits dominated

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<v Speaker 1>the British booz scene, but the drinking of wine nearly

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<v Speaker 1>quadrupled between nineteen and two thousand four, likely due to

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<v Speaker 1>its affordability, availability, accessibility, and all those successful marketing tactics.

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<v Speaker 1>The study authors suggest that when it comes to how

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<v Speaker 1>much we're drinking, our glass size probably does matter. For

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<v Speaker 1>the study, the researchers examined wine glass capacity over time

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<v Speaker 1>to illuminate weather changes in size may have contributed to

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<v Speaker 1>that steep rise in wine drinking over the past few decades.

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<v Speaker 1>By scouring online info and talking with antiques, glassware experts

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<v Speaker 1>and museum curators, the researchers were able to obtain the

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<v Speaker 1>measurements of four hundred and eleven glasses from seventeen hundred

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<v Speaker 1>to the modern day. What they found might be a

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<v Speaker 1>bit disheartening to anyone who leans heavily on that just

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<v Speaker 1>one glass line. Wine glass capacity skyrocketed from a mere

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<v Speaker 1>sixty six millileaters or two in the seventeen hundreds to

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<v Speaker 1>four hundred and seventeen millileaters that's fourteen ounces in the

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<v Speaker 1>two thousands, with the average size of a wine glass

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<v Speaker 1>in twenty sixteen to twenty seventeen falling around a four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and forty nine millileaters or fifteen ounces for reference,

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<v Speaker 1>The size of a standard drink does vary from culture

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<v Speaker 1>to culture around the world, but is commonly around ten

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<v Speaker 1>grams of pure alcohol per beverage. For wine having an

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<v Speaker 1>average of about twelve percent alcohol by volume, that accounts

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<v Speaker 1>for just slightly over four ounces or a hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five million leads. Study authors Zorana Zupan said in

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<v Speaker 1>the press release, for the most part, this increase was gradual,

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<v Speaker 1>but since the nineteen nineties the size has increased rapidly.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether this led to the rise in wine consumption in England,

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<v Speaker 1>we can't say for certain, but a wine glass three

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<v Speaker 1>hundred years ago would have only held about half of

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<v Speaker 1>today's small measure. There are lots of reasons those glasses

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<v Speaker 1>may have gotten roomier, more affordable glass prices, innovations in technology,

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<v Speaker 1>a healthier economy, and an increased societal appreciation for wine.

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<v Speaker 1>But it could be the people behind the bar who

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<v Speaker 1>have demanded bigger glassware to accommodate the increasingly normalized Megapore.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite regulatory requirement in England to make customers aware that

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<v Speaker 1>the more modest a hundred and twenty five million eater

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<v Speaker 1>glasses are available, most establishments opt to serve two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and fifty million leads at a time, or about one

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<v Speaker 1>third of a wine bottle. And if your response to

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<v Speaker 1>all this is that you have no problem moderating your

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<v Speaker 1>intake in the face of such generous glassware, know that

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<v Speaker 1>researchers have also found that the strength of wine has

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<v Speaker 1>increased over the years in the UK at least. But

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<v Speaker 1>regardless of where you reside, perhaps you'll want to pay

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<v Speaker 1>a little more attention to how much wine you're actually doubting,

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<v Speaker 1>because apparently just one glass could potentially still be enough

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<v Speaker 1>to cause trouble. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>wine glasses have doubled in size since the nineteen nineties

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<v Speaker 1>on houstaff works dot com, written by Michelle Konstantinovsky. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>HowStuffWorks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang. Four

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