How Many Calories in Wine

A lot of people dieting know how many calories are in food, or at least they have some idea and then find out the rest, so they can keep a record, but how about calories in wine because those count just as much. Wine drinkers might be surprised how many calories are in their favorite tipple. In fact, if you drink wine it’s vital to know. So, how many calories in wine exactly?

Although most wines are less than 100 calories a glass that is not always the case and of course it depends on the serving size. Wine is lower in calories than a lot of other alcoholic drinks, with Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel at less than 80 calories a serving.

One glass of wine per night is apparently good for the health of your heart, making that evening glass of red an encouraging, as well as healthy, choice. Knowing how many calories in wine can help you make good choices about drinking.

How Many Calories in Wine – Red

Red Zinfandel as well as lots of other red wines come in at 90 calories a serving, so long as you are having a normal size serving and not one of those jumbo size wine glasses. One serving is 5 ounces. Add another 5 calories and you can enjoy Merlot, Beaujolais, Red Bordeaux, Rhone or Red Burgundy.

How Many Calories in Wine –  White

Want to know how many calories in wine but drinking white? Well, Marsala is only 80 calories a serving and Chablis is 85 because it is so dry. Chardonnay, Riesling and White Burgundy are 90 calories a serving, as is regular rose wine.

How Many Ounces in a Glass of Wine?

Now only is knowing how many calories in wine important, but how much is a ‘glass’ of wine anyway? Most people have more than one glass, and a standard bottle of wine is between 500 and 610 calories per bottle, you might like to know, depending on the wine as well as how sweet/dry it is, and the alcohol percentage.

A bottle of wine is 25 ounces or 750 ml. A standard glass of wine is 5 oz but pour for yourself and you might pour closer to 8 oz (1/3 of a bottle).

Chianti, pink Champagne and Mosel are 100 calories per 4 ounces because of the extra sugar in there, while Sauterne and Sangria are 110 calories a glass. Dry Champagne is 105 calories per glass.

Burning the Calories in Wine

When dieting and counting calories, it’s not just about counting calories. Wine is made from fruit which is a type of sugar, and the sugar in wine makes it harder to burn off. Knowing how many calories in wine and how many in other foods is only one factor to take into account if you want to know whether alcohol is harder to burn off.

This applies to dry wine as much as sweet wine. Once fruit has been fermented, its sugar content increases and gets more like fructose than in its original fruit form.

The body burns the calories from alcohol before tackling the calories from any food you’ve eaten as well, leading to the body storing ‘wine calories’ as fat (energy). This means burning the calories in wine is harder than burning the calories in food if you’re eating at the same time as drinking, and if we’re talking about moderate amounts.

Higher Calorie Wines

Tokay wine is 165 calories per serving while Muscatel is nearly as high, at 160 calories. White port is 165 calories while ruby port is 185 calories a serving. How many calories in wine like these? Well perhaps more than you thought.

This might not be as shocking as you think when you figure the average gin and tonic is 280 calories, the same as vodka and lemonade calories. A lot of frozen cocktails are north of 750 calories which is even more sobering!

What Causes Beer Gut or Wine Gut?

Beer is between 140 and 200 calories in 12 ounces, while light beer is 100 calories for the same amount.

A bottle of wine boasts around 600 calories which is half your daily calorie requirement when dieting or about a third when not. Knowing how many calories in wine is quite sobering if you tend to drink too much regularly or binge drink.

So no wonder indulging in beer or wine can contribute to a gut, which is really just stored fat/energy.

A lot of people consider beer, wine and other alcohol outside their normal diet plan but it is useful to know how many calories are in wine when calculating your daily calorie allowance.

Alcohol is ‘empty calories’ too which means it offers calories but nothing in the form of carbs, fat, protein, vitamins or minerals. It’s like sugar – it gives you calories but offers nothing more.

Can You Drink Wine on a Diet?

So now you know how many calories in wine – can you have wine on a diet? Yes it is possible to drink wine and still diet or enjoy a healthy lifestyle, but that means drinking in moderation, not drinking heavily.

Remember too that alcohol increases the appetite and can make you crave unhealthy food or overeat. If you have some wine you might suddenly crave junk food and, unlike when sober, find it harder to resist.

Have one glass of wine less per day and that means you’re saving 100 calories, the equivalent of a small bowl of air-popped popcorn, a piece of toast, a small salad, or another snack.

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A Few More Tips

Don’t skip dinner so you can drink wine either, since it’s going to go to your head faster if your stomach is empty, resulting in more food cravings.

Your willpower will all but disappear if you have a few glasses of wine on an empty stomach and you might throw caution to the wine and start eating all kinds of things you really shouldn’t. It’s not only about knowing how many calories in wine.

It is easy to adjust the calories in wine by recording what you eat and drink and allowing yourself a glass or 2 each day, whenever you want to, eating less food to make up for it.

Unless you happen to be a very heavy drinker, your daily food and nutrient consumption need not suffer due to the odd glass of wine.

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Just make sure your diet is balanced, you’re getting all your nutrients, and you aren’t drinking so much you get food cravings you can’t resist.

If you do overindulge you will be craving high-calorie carbs the whole of the following day, so if you can, it might be better to resist the wine in order to get the figure you dream of.