Social expectations

In Drink?, neuropsychopharmacologist Professor David Nutt sets out a list of ‘sensible drinking rules’ that he recommends trying. One of them is ‘say no to champagne’. He argues that we tend to start drinking fizz on an empty stomach – eg on arrival at a wedding reception or to as an aperitif at a dinner party or meal out. He says that “this kind of drink [is] part of social culture”.

Alcohol content

Then there’s the fact that it’s often quite alcoholic stuff. We know that wines and spirits are made of strong stuff, but for some reason, a bottle of bubbly barely registers as booze. Most champagnes, cavas and English sparkling wines come in at around 12% ABV, while proseccos are often slightly lower at around 11%. That’s to be expected – it is wine, after all. But while you might drink a glass of red then pop the cork back in and drink the rest another day, there’s a perception that fizz requires immediate drinking.

It’s all too easy to polish off a bottle of bubbly with a mate or work your way through a couple of bottles over the course of an evening, and it’s often cheaper (by volume) to order a bottle than a flute if you’re planning on drinking more than one.

Prosecco hangovers: why do we get more drunk (and hungover) drinking sparkling wine?