-Less than one-half of one percent-

Imagine a party with 30+ baby-boomers, each packing and quaffing some variety of yellow tail wine. Somewhere on the same table is a bottle of Ariel’s dealcoholized wine. The goal of the experiment is to determine if people will read labels once the bottles with the recognizable yellow tail Kangaroo labels run dry.

Yes, there are a few extra variables here to diminish the authority of the experiment. The state of intoxication plays a role, and so does the number of partygoers in a given conversation circle. All in all, it’s a great mess of an experiment, an insult to the scientific method. No control group – it’s a party, for chrissakes.

But the risks make it all worthwhile. Imagine the most obnoxious souse on the lot threat-talking over everyone else as he/she fills a cup with Ariel Red, long practice and abuse opening the gullet for a long pull.. Only to spit it back out on the host’s rug/couch/dog with a startled curse.

The scientist might feel somewhat responsible for the mess. But who are the partygoers really going to blame?