How Many Calories in Wine? Red, White, & More (+ Carbs Info)

Steve Mayes | April 7, 2022 | Wine

There’s a proverb that says there’s truth in wine. There’s also a significant number of calories! How many calories in wine depends on the style and there’s generally little difference between red and white wine.

What determines the calorie level in wine? It may be surprising to learn it’s not residual sugar content but alcohol level or abv. Sugars are dissolved carbs and alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Both add a delicious flavor to your Chardonnay or Merlot but they also add inches to your waistline. Typically, the higher the abv level, the lower the sugar content and vice versa. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean healthier wine because alcohol is packed with calories.

If you’re health-conscious there’s no need to cut out the Cabernet Sauvignon though. Knowledge is power so read on for a deep dive into wine calories and nutritional content.

Calories in Different Types of Wine

There are four broad categories of wine: still, sparkling, sweet, and fortified. Within each, you find a range of styles, each with different calorie counts. For example, still wine includes red, white, and rosé covering dry to off-dry. Similarly, sparkling wine ranges from zero dosage (super dry!) through medium-dry, to sweet. Even sweet wines run the gamut of sweetness levels as do fortified wines.

With around 10,000 Vitis vinifera grape varieties in the world and numerous approaches to winemaking, calorie count isn’t an exact science. That being said, we’ve compiled a short guide that’s a solid starting point if you want to watch your wine calories glass count.

White Wine Calories

With thousands of wine grapes in existence, we’re homing in on some of the most popular and their corresponding calorie counts. The following are based on a 118 mL dry-style serving.

Grape variety	Calorie count per 118 mLs (about 4 oz)
Chardonnay	100
Pinot Gris	98
Riesling	94
Sauvignon Blanc	96
Chenin Blanc	94

Wine calories in Champagne and other white sparkling wines cover a wide range.

Style	Calorie count per 140 mLs (about 4 oz)
Extra Brut	91 – 96
Brut	91 – 98
Dry	101-111
Sweet	121+

White dessert wines like Sauternes, Ice Wine, or Tokaji contain the highest number of calories. A 5-ounce glass has 160 to 230 calories. This measure is just a guide though since dessert wine is usually served in smaller glasses.

Red Wine Calories

How many calories in a glass of red wine varies. Below are the most widely-drunk dry red wines and their calorie levels for a 118-mL glass.

Grape variety	Calorie count per 118 mLs (about 4 oz)
Cabernet Sauvignon	91
Malbec	97
Merlot	98
Pinot Noir	89
Shiraz	84

As far as other styles of red wines are concerned, a 118 mL glass of port wine contains 189 calories. The same serving of the popular Italian frizzante red, Lambrusco Rosso, has 100 calories.

How Many Calories in a Bottle of Wine

The same logic that applies to glasses of wine applies to full bottles: different grapes and styles vary in calorie count.

As a guide, keep in mind the following for a 750 mL bottle of wine:

Dry red or white wine has about 635 calories.
Dry rosé wine has around 610 calories. The darker the color, the higher the number.
Sparkling wine (Champagne or Prosecco) has between 470 and 675 calories.
Dessert wine contains an average of 1,270 calories.

How many calories are in a glass of wine?

Depending on the number of guests, you can split a 750mL bottle of wine into several convenient serving sizes. These are:

6 x 125 mL
4 x 175 mL
3 x 250 mL

The calories vary according to the type of wine and serving quantity. Depending on whether it is dry or sweet, still or sparkling, a typical serving of wine can contain anywhere from 84 to 230 calories.

What is the Nutritional Content of Wine?

Alcohol and sugar content don’t make up the whole wine nutrition story. We’ve already looked at typical calorie counts for different wine styles and serving sizes. Grape skins also contribute a range of antioxidants and minerals to wine with reds generally more nutrient-rich than whites.

Unlike most drinks, you won’t find any nutritional information on a wine label. There has been talk over the years about including calorie count but no action has been taken. So, besides sugar and alcohol, what else is in wine?

Carbs courtesy of sugar clock in at up to 19 grams per serving depending on the sweetness level.
Fluoride: Prevents tooth decay.
Manganese: Antioxidant that supports brain, liver, and nervous system.
Potassium: Supports heart health.
Iron: Supports oxygen delivery around your body.
Vitamin B6: Aids in accessing energy supplies stored in your body.
Vitamin B2: Supports oxygen delivery around your body.
Phosphorus: Makes bones stronger, balances hormones and helps digestion.
Choline: Supports memory function and liver.

The general nutritional content of these vitamins and minerals for both a glass and a bottle of wine is as follows:

Fluoride: 40% of daily recommended intake.

Manganese: 10%.

Potassium: 5%.

Iron: 4%.

Vitamin B6: 4%.

Vitamin B2: 3%.

Phosphorus: 3%.

Choline: 2%.

In the US, one ingredient that must be mentioned on a wine bottle is sulfite. This chemical is an antioxidant and preservative and is used throughout the winemaking process for protective purposes.

Sulfite is an allergen that affects around 1% of people. However, the quantity used in winemaking is so small that it’s rarely of concern. There’s probably more sulfite in a handful of dried fruit that in wine.

How Does Wine Compare to Other Alcoholic Drinks?

Comparing wine’s calorie count to other alcoholic drinks reveals a lot of variation. A 25 mL shot of a typical liqueur, for example, contains about 63 calories which work out as very high compared to a standard serving of red, white, or sparkling wine. The calorie count is similar to that of an off-dry, high abv red port. Light beer, on the other hand, has roughly half the calories found in a low-alcohol wine.

The determining factor in calorie count is alcohol. Remember the wine calorie count table above? Let’s take some info from different wine styles and compare it to other alcohol.

Grape variety	Calorie count per 118 mLs (about 4 oz)	Other alcohol	Quantity -Calorie count
Cabernet Sauvignon	91	Light beer	12 oz 95 – 139
Pinot Gris	98	Belgian beer	12 oz 201 – 303
Malbec	97	Cider	5 oz 74
Port	189	Vodka	0.87 oz – 58
Pinot Noir	89	Gin	0.87 oz – 66
Shiraz	84	Rum	1.5 oz – 102
Chardonnay	100	Whisky	1.5 oz – 110

Little Known Health Benefits of Wine

Research has pointed to a number of health benefits of enjoying wine in moderation.

These include:

Wine (especially red) contains antioxidants that reduce cellular damage.
Reduces risk of heart disease.
Antioxidants promote longevity.
The same properties can promote skin health.
Red wine supports growth of healthy gut bacteria.

Research into the health benefits of wine is ongoing so there’s no conclusive or definitive proof in findings yet. That being said, there’s enough evidence to suggest the occasional glass of wine may aid healthy metabolism.

How Much Wine Should I Drink?

Red or white, still or sparkling, wine is fermented grape juice. The alcohol it contains isn’t only worth measuring for calorie counting but for overall health and safety. Too much alcohol impacts short-term (cognitive functions) and long-term (some cancers) health. As such, you need to enjoy your wine with care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following:

2 units or fewer a day for men.
1 unit or fewer a day for women.
No alcohol for pregnant women, minors, people with certain health risks, recovering alcohol abusers.

If you’re so passionate about wine that you’ve learned how to make your own at home, you can exercise more control over the amount of alcohol in each glass. You also have a hand in interesting final flavors with oak wine aging barrels.

What’s more, there’s a growing market for low-alcohol and low-sugar wines. Check these out if you want to enjoy wine and good health. With aromas and flavors in mind, if you want to get great tasting aged wine at home, view our wine aging barrels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can wine make you gain weight?

Yes. Wine contains alcohol and sugar which have high calories counts.

What wine has the lowest calories?

Dry white wines typically have fewer calories than other wine styles. Low or no-alcohol wines have the fewest.

Where do the calories in wine come from?

Predominantly from the alcohol and also residual sugar.

Conclusion

We’ve drunk wine for millennia which is a testament to its popularity. However, there’s no getting away from the calorie count in wine. Over time, too many glasses will pile on the pounds. Information about how many calories in wine helps toward making healthy choices without sacrificing your favorite red, white, or sparkling. Check out the rest of our oak barrels store to find all things that you might need for wine aging. Happy sipping!

Posted in Wine