Thursday, October 3, 2013

The Secret Reason You Get Drunk Faster

The Secret Reason You Get Drunk Faster

Already drunk on dry riesling? Here’s a possible reason why: The shape and placement of your wine glass—and even the color of your claret—can influence how much you pour, finds a new study from Iowa State University.

Compared to narrower wine glasses, wider vessels (like those designed for cabernet or merlot) cause you to pour 12 percent more vino into your glass, the research shows. The same goes if you’re filling a glass held in your hand as opposed to one sitting on a table. And when it comes to white wine, you pour out portions 9 percent larger than if you were tipping a bottle of red.

By throwing off your visual perspective, factors like the color of the wine, as well as the contour and position of the glass, mess with your portion estimations, the study authors explain. Why should you care? Unlike beer—which nearly always comes in a 12-ounce can or bottle—the variations in how you pour wine can throw off your sense of how much you’ve had to drink, the study authors say. You might think you’ve had two glasses when you’ve really downed three or four.

A 5-ounce (oz.) portion of wine is roughly equivalent to a 12-oz. can of beer, the authors stress. To make sure you’re not over-serving yourself at home, grab a measuring cup and see what 5 oz. looks like in your regular wine glasses. You could also buy a small measuring carafe to help you standardize your pours. Away from home, simply knowing that wider glasses or white wines lead to heavy handed portions will help you show restraint, the study authors say.

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