White Wine Drinkers Pour More

A self-serving drinker might know how many glasses he or she has had in a night, but those glasses might contain much more liquid than one would expect, especially if they contain white wine.

A recent study from Iowa State University and Cornell asked people to pour what they thought were normal sized glasses of wine into a variety of different glasses, and they found that when pouring white wine people poured 9 percent more than red wine because the wine is harder to see in a clear glass. A wide glass, like one traditionally for red wine, made people pour 12 percent more wine than in a narrow glass meant for white wine. So if using red wine glasses for white wine, be prepared for the bottle to empty quickly.

Additionally, people poured 12 percent more wine if they were holding the wine glass than if the glass were resting on the table, according to E! Science News.

A standard serving of wine is five ounces, but the study indicates that people might be pouring much more than that if they're relying on their own ability to eyeball a measurement.

"People have trouble assessing volumes," said lead author Laura Smarandescu from Iowa State University. "They tend to focus more on the vertical than the horizontal measures. That's why people tend to drink less when they drink from a narrow glass, because they think they're drinking more."