i only had two glasses of wine (and other stories)

The Telegraph in the UK published an article this week about the larger portions that white wine drinkers poured themselves.  Read here.  All quite technical about the colour of the glass and the wine, the width of the glass and the contrast in colour between the wine and glass.

Nothing new for me there.  Nothing I never already knew and reading it is not going to change anything either.  However, I was wondering why this new Helderzicht Chenin is going down so well.  It is almost the colour of water, it looks really good in a large wine glass and sometimes I only need two glasses to almost polish off a bottle!

"When pouring white wine into a clear glass they were found to pour nine per cent more than when pouring red, which had a greater colour contrast to the glass.  They also poured around 12% more wine into a wide glass than a standard one."

"One person's two is totally different than another person's two. Participants in the study were asked to pour the same amount at each setting, but they just couldn't tell the difference."

This is the most brilliant graduation speech which has gone viral.  It is worth watching when you have 11 minutes to spare.

To tie everything together, I remembered this song of his (I think I may have used it before (sorry)).  Lovely words, not quite Christmas but makes drinking white wine in the sun and getting the family together for Christmas sound oh so wonderful and who really cares about the portions poured or the size of the glass?

I really like Christmas

It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it

I am hardly religious

I'd rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu, to be honest

And yes, I have all of the usual objections

To consumerism, the commercialisation of an ancient religion

To the westernisation of a dead Palestinian

Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer

But I still really like it

I'm looking forward to Christmas

Though I'm not expecting a visit from Jesus

I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I don't go in for ancient wisdom

I don't believe just 'cos ideas are tenacious it means they're worthy

I get freaked out by churches

Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords but the lyrics are dodgy

And yes I have all of the usual objections

To the mis-education of children who, in tax-exempt institutions, 

Are taught to externalise blame

And to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right and wrong

But I quite like the songs

I'm not expecting big presents

The old combination of socks, jocks and chocolate's is just fine by me

Cos I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

And you, my baby girl

My jetlagged infant daughter

You'll be handed round the room

Like a puppy at a primary school

And you won't understand

But you will learn someday 

That wherever you are and whatever you face

These are the people who'll make you feel safe in this world

My sweet blue-eyed girl

And if my baby girl

When you're twenty-one or thirty-one

And Christmas comes around

And you find yourself nine thousand miles from home

You'll know what ever comes

Your brothers and sisters and me and your Mum

Will be waiting for you in the sun

Whenever you come

Your brothers and sisters, your aunts and your uncles

Your grandparents, cousins and me and your mum

We'll be waiting for you in the sun

Drinking white wine in the sun

Darling, when Christmas comes

We'll be waiting for you in the sun

Drinking white wine in the sun

Waiting for you in the sun

Waiting for you... 

Waiting... 

I really like Christmas

It's sentimental, I know...