Yahoo News Wine glasses are seven times bigger than they used to be
Wine lovers, this could be the source of your wine-fuelled hangovers: the amount of wine we consume has grown exponentially over the last three centuries.
A new study has found that modern wine glasses are around seven times larger than they were in the 1700s.
The study by the University of Cambridge looked through old manufacturer records, museum archives, the Royal Household's collection for English glassware made between 1700 and today.
They found that wine glass capacity steadily increased from the 1700s until they spiked in the 1990s and have remained that size since.
Back in the 18th century, the average wine glass held 66 ml of liquid - now it holds 449 ml.
In the UK, a standard glass of wine is 175 ml – more than double the capacity of an 18th century wine glass. The recommended weekly alcohol intake is 14 units per week, equivalent to six standard glasses of wine.
If wine glasses continue to grow in size, people will be more likely to drink more than their weekly recommended alcohol units.
Wine wasn't consumed in large quantities until the 20th century - and it wasn't really until the 1980s that wine became a go-to drink.
The study found that in the 1980s, people began to use different glasses for different types of wine, which increased the demand and interest for stemware. This in turn increased the demand for bigger quantities of wine.
What could this mean for the future? That we'll be drinking wine out of buckets? Hopefully not.
Remember to always drink responsibly.
The recommended weekly alcohol intake is 14 units per week, which is the equivalent of six glasses (175 ml) of wine. To find out more visit drinkaware.co.uk
