Wine glasses, like wines, go in and out of fashion. But whether you prefer the newest trend in stemless tumblers or the voluminous style of the 1990s, one thing has marked their evolution. Over time, wine glasses have increased in size.
In a study published in the British Medical Journal last year, researchers investigated wine glasses between 1700 and 2017 and discovered a sevenfold increase in volume.
“We wanted to know if wine glasses had got bigger and whether any change might parallel our increased consumption of wine,” explains Professor Theresa Marteau of Cambridge university. “We know that larger tableware increases how much we eat — often without our awareness — and that plate sizes have increased over the past 100 years but we could find no evidence in relation to wine glasses.”