WEBVTT - Are Wine Glasses Getting Bigger?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. 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 nine 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 why in glass capacity over

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

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<v Speaker 1>to that steep rise in wine drinking over the past

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<v Speaker 1>few decades. By scouring online info and talking with antiques,

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen hundred to the modern day. What they found might

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<v Speaker 1>be a bit disheartening to anyone who leans heavily on

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<v Speaker 1>that just one glass line. Wine glass capacity skyrocketed from

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<v Speaker 1>a mere sixty six millileaters or two ounces in the

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen hundreds to four hundred and seventeen millileaters that's fourteen

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<v Speaker 1>ounces in the two thousands, with the average size of

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<v Speaker 1>a wine glass in twenty six twenty seventeen falling around

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<v Speaker 1>four 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 cultured

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>just slightly over four ounces or drid and twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>million leaders. Study authors Zorana Zupin said in the press release,

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<v Speaker 1>for the most part, this increase was gradual, but since

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<v Speaker 1>the nine nineties the size has increased rapidly. Whether this

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>years ago would have only held about half of today's

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<v Speaker 1>small measure. There are lots of reasons those glasses may

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<v Speaker 1>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 lead

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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

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

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<v Speaker 1>enough to cause trouble. Today's episode was written by Michelle

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<v Speaker 1>Komftantanowski and produced by Tristan McNeil. For more on this

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<v Speaker 1>and lots of other standard breaking topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com