Influence of Wine Glass Size on Alcohol Consumption

In the world of wine, where each glass can feel like a celebration but also a disservice to our health, there’s a secret ally for those of us looking to cut back on our drinking: the size of the wine glass itself. Believe it or not, opting for a smaller glass can be a simple yet powerful step towards enjoying wine more mindfully. Those oversized goblets may seem inviting, but they often lead to more generous pours than we realize.

On our journey to more mindful drinking, exploring the influence of glass size can transform our relationship with that evening Cabernet. How can a large wine glass get us off track? How much is a serving of wine? And what does our wine serving size have to do with the size of our glass?

Let’s take a look at the science behind how a big wine glass can be a trap while a smaller one can lead to big benefits in our quest for mindful drinking.

How Much Is a Serving of Wine?

What’s the serving size of wine? One standard serving of wine is equivalent to 5 oz or 150 mL. This is based on the concept of a standard drink measurement, which allows for a more uniform way to measure alcohol. In the US, one standard drink is 0.6 oz of pure alcohol, which is about 5 oz of wine with an average alcohol by volume (ABV) of 12%.

While bartenders practice making standard pours, the varying wine glass sizes can make it difficult. At restaurants and bars, wine is typically poured freehand — making them anywhere from about 4 to 6 oz. To make matters more complicated, wine glasses can vary from 9 to 22 oz. Many bartenders use the fact that a standard bottle of wine (750 mL) is equivalent to about 5 standard pours to estimate a serving of wine.

However, this rough estimate, on top of unusually large wine glasses, can affect alcohol consumption. Let’s further examine this link.

The Connection Between Glass Size and Alcohol Consumption

We commonly think of our ancestors as hard drinkers, as for a long period of time, booze was safer to drink than water. However, research shows that wine consumption continues to increase, and the growth of the wine glass size may play a role. Since 1700, wine glass sizes have grown an average of 7 times. Plus, there are many sizes available today, making a standard wine glass serving size hard to define. Although we don’t typically fill up the wine glass to the brim, a bigger glass can also mean a bigger pour. This can be attributed to several factors:

• Visual perception. The same amount of wine will look like we’re drinking less wine when we’re using a bigger glass. Even if we’re keeping track of our drinks, we tend to pour more in a larger glass than a smaller glass due to visual perception.
• Cognitive biases. If we think we’re drinking less, we may also feel less effects due to cognitive biases. This is similar to using a smaller plate when we’re trying to lose weight. It can trick our brain into thinking we’re eating more food when in actuality we may be eating less, just on a different plate.
• Drinking pace. Have you ever taken the last cookie out of the jar and nibbled on it slowly — savoring each bite before it was gone? This can also happen when we’re drinking. If we have a small glass, we may choose to sip slowly to savor the taste, but with a big glass and ample amount of wine, we may end up guzzling it down.
• Refilling frequency. If we end up guzzling down our large glass of wine, we may end up refilling our wine glass more frequently — leading to more pours and a quicker drinking pace.
• Wine glass shape. Not only does size matter, but so does the shape of the wine glass. Research shows that a curved glass, which wine is typically served in, promotes faster drinking in comparison to a straight glass. Size and shape of the glass also influence the wine’s taste, which may also affect consumption rate.
• Serving manner. Some wine glasses have markings on the side to indicate a serving size, but not always. Wine is also often served with a free pour, which is much less uniform than how other alcoholic beverages are usually served. For example, liquor for mixed drinks is measured with a jigger, and beer is often served in a standard pint glass.

Wine glass size undoubtedly influences our drinking habits, but how exactly does this negatively affect us?

Impacts of Wine Glass Size on Drinking

Bigger does not mean better. In fact, bigger wine glasses are linked with increased consumption — increasing the risk of alcohol-related harm. Let’s take a closer look at the research.

A 2022 study followed 260 households in the UK who consumed at least two 750-mL bottles of wine each week. The households were randomized to receive smaller (290 mL) glasses or larger (350 mL) glasses to drink from during the two-week period. The study found that households consumed an average of 6.5% less when drinking from the smaller glasses than the larger glasses.

We see a similar pattern with alcohol consumption in restaurants and bars, as outlined in a study by the University of Cambridge. The study analyzed data from wine sales at bars and restaurants in Cambridge from 2015 to 2018, using 300-mL glasses as a reference level. Researchers found that in restaurants where the glass size was increased to 370 mL, wine sales increased by 7.3%. Likewise, in restaurants where the glass size was reduced to 250 mL, wine sales dropped by 9.6%.

Using this theory, another University of Cambridge study looked at whether removing the largest serving of wine (usually the 250-mL option) would have an impact on how much wine was consumed. Researchers carried out the study in 21 licensed premises in England for four weeks. The study found that removing the largest wine glass serving led to an average decrease of 7.6% in wine sold per day.

Although the size of our wine glass may seem trivial, there is ample research that shows that size does matter. It can increase or decrease wine consumption — influencing our health and well-being. Aside from the size of our glass, what else can affect our drinking habits?

Other Factors That Affect Alcohol Consumption

On top of the size of our wine glass, there are other factors that affect our alcohol consumption that we should take into consideration. Alcohol dependence and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are caused by an interplay of many factors. Understanding the factors that impact our alcohol consumption helps us avoid an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

• Mood. Drinking is commonly used as an unhealthy coping mechanism and a distraction from stress or negative emotions. Low mood or high stress levels can often increase alcohol consumption.
• Social influence. Social drinking can present us with more occasions to drink, as alcohol has made its way into many of our social events. Work events, weddings, and other celebrations we attend often include alcohol — increasing our overall alcohol consumption.
• Tolerance. Increased tolerance means that we’ll need to drink more alcohol to achieve the same effects. Although we may not feel as affected by the alcohol, the detrimental effects it has on our body remain the same. In fact, since we may be drinking more, the negative effects are even more amplified.
• Genetics. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that genetics accounts for roughly 50% of the risk of developing AUD. This means that those of us with a family history of AUD may also be more likely to develop an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
• Socioeconomic status. Our socioeconomic status influences the environment we live in and our access to resources. Although research shows that higher socioeconomic groups have the highest alcohol consumption, the struggles of lower socioeconomic groups make them more vulnerable to alcohol-related harm.

When combined with the size of our wine glass, these factors may subtly amp up our alcohol consumption — putting us at greater risk of alcohol-related harm. Let’s better understand the consequences so we can develop strategies to prevent them.

Negative Consequences of “Oversized Drinking”

Bigger wine glasses lead to “oversized” drinking or binge drinking, which is associated with many physical, mental, and social consequences. Binge drinking not only increases the risk of dangerous acute effects such as alcohol poisoning, but also causes adverse effects in the aftermath:

• Wine hangovers. Wine is often associated with worse hangovers. This may be due to the presence of congeners in wine, a byproduct of the fermentation process. Alcohol high in congeners can cause worse hangover symptoms such as headache, nausea, fatigue, and more.
• Alcohol-related chronic diseases. Excessive drinking is associated with many chronic diseases including liver damage, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and more.
• Certain types of cancer. The toxic compound in alcohol, acetaldehyde, is classified as a known carcinogen. It’s one of the main reasons why drinking is linked to an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.
• Weight gain. Alcohol is full of empty calories — contributing to the increase in our waistline. A glass of wine with dinner, happy hour drinks after work, and a beer while enjoying the game can add up quickly and increase the risk of unwanted weight gain.
• Alcohol dependence. When we drink, our “feel-good” hormones, dopamine and serotonin, are released. This can hijack our brain’s reward system and manipulate us into coming back for more.
• Social impacts. Drinking excessively can take up our time and energy. This can negatively impact our relationships and our academic or employment performance.

While a large wine goblet may seem like an innocent glassware choice, it can open the door to many adverse effects. Let’s explore some ways we can minimize these effects by practicing mindful consumption.

Tips for Shrinking Your Drink

Quitting or cutting back on alcohol by implementing mindful drinking strategies is beneficial to our overall health and well-being. Completely avoiding alcohol cold turkey may not always be a good strategy for everyone. These mindful drinking practices can help us take intentional steps toward our goal:

• Track consumption. Getting an accurate measure of the number of standard drinks we’re consuming and our habits over time helps us identify where we can make changes. 
• Choose wisely. The sipping nature of wine can make it easy to unknowingly finish a whole bottle. We can choose smaller bottles to ensure we aren’t just pouring glass after glass.
• Use it to your advantage. Now that we know how wine glass size can sneakily impact our alcohol consumption, we can use that to our advantage. Choose a smaller glass size to cut back.
• Be mindful of timing. Drink water in between sips or get up and move around to prevent mindless sipping. This can slow down our alcohol consumption and reduce our overall intake.
• Reach out for support. If we’re concerned about our relationship with alcohol, we can reach out for support from others. This way we can hold ourselves accountable and develop tools to effectively quit or cut back on alcohol.

Shrinking our drink by implementing these helpful strategies helps us take steps in the right direction towards better health and well-being.

Sipping Safely

As we’ve discovered, the size of our wine glass can significantly shape our drinking habits. Larger glasses can subtly lead us to pour and drink more wine than we might intend to. By choosing smaller wine glasses, we can intentionally promote moderation. This small change can make a significant difference in reducing our alcohol consumption — supporting our efforts to live a healthier and more balanced life. So, the next time we pour a glass of wine, we can think about the glass we’re drinking from and savor our drink more mindfully. In the quest for wellness, sometimes the smallest changes lead to the biggest impacts!