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We all want to live healthy, low-calorie lives, but that’s not easy to do when the wine is so irresistible! Unfortunately, like with all great things, wine does have calories in it— much more than anyone would expect. Read on to learn how many calories are in a bottle of wine.
What Affects Wine Calories
Unless you’re drinking water, just about everything we eat or drink has calories in it, but that’s not bad news. Calories have a bad rep because many people believe that it’s unhealthy but that’s not really true.
Calories are basic units of energy in food that we need for our organs to work. Unfortunately, taking in too many calories could turn into fat.
Calories could come from fat, protein, carbohydrates, sugar, and starch. With wine, calories come from the sugar found in grapes. The more sugar in a grape, the more calories in a bottle of wine. Knowing the kind of grapes used would be a good clue but let’s be real— when we’re at the store, we’ll be wondering if the wine is good, not about what grapes it’s made of!
One easy way to check wine calories is by checking the alcohol content. Alcohol and calorie content are directly proportional to each other since both of these come from the same source (aka the grape fructose). More than the grapes used, different types of wine will come with different calorie counts.
Calories in Reds
Red wine is a beautiful and rich wine that pairs very nicely with savory and flavorful food. It’s iconic and these tend to have a higher calorie content compared to whites and rosés. There are seven major wine types, each with different calories and alcohol content.
| ABV% | Calories (5 oz./ 150 ml glass serving) | Calories (25 oz./750 ml bottle) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangiovese | 12.5–13.5% | 110 kcal | 550 kcal |
| Pinot Noir | 13.5–14.5% | 113–119 kcal | 565–595 kcal |
| Malbec | 118–122 kcal | 590–610 kcal | |
| Syrah/ Shiraz | 122–123 kcal | 610–615 kcal | |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | 122–125 kcal | 610–625 kcal | |
| Merlot | 122–125 kcal | 610–625 kcal | |
| Zinfandel | 14.5% and above | 122–131 kcal | 610–655 kcal |
These calories are based on a 5 fluid ounce serving size, which is the standard serving size for a glass of wine. When considering the calories you’re drinking, be aware of how much you usually pour in your wine glass versus the standard.
However, while reds are more calorific than other wines, it still comes with a whole lot of great health benefits. This means that even with slightly higher calories, you’ll still be raking in lots of other advantages that your body will thank you for.
Something that red wine is most known for is that it has compounds that boost its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities. It has a lot of phenolic compounds in it, which are known to help decrease insulin resistance. It could also help is by sharpening your mind, improving any moodiness, and some research even shows a relationship between red wine consumption and longer lifespans.
Calories in Whites
We get a generally lower calorie count from white wine. However, it’s still a case to case basis, depending on the kind of white wine it is, especially with sweet wines. We’ve identified seven white wine types that are popular.
| ABV% | Calories (5 oz./ 150 ml glass serving) | Calories (25 oz./750 ml bottle) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauvignon Blanc | 10–11.5% | 108–119 kcal | 540–595 kcal |
| Pinot Grigio | 12.5–13.5% | 105–122 kcal | 525–610 kcal |
| Semillon | 13.5–14.5% | 122 kcal | 610 kcal |
| Chardonnay | 105–118 kcal | 525–590 kcal | |
| Sweet White Wine | |||
| Moscato | 5–9% | 111–147 kcal | 555–735 kcal |
| Riesling | 8–13.5% | 118–123 kcal | 580–615 kcal |
| Gewürztraminer | 14% and above | 177–213 kcal | 885–1,065 kcal |
Though red wine has more resveratrol to protect your blood, the caffeic acid in white wine levels the playing field. Caffeic acid is a polyphenol that has great antioxidant properties. White wine has a low dose of it but this amount is perfect for endothelial protection, which helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular episodes. It also lessens the risk of kidney diseases. Additionally, other antioxidants found in white wine help enhance cognitive health and could even reduce the risk of developing cognitive problems.
White wine is lighter in flavor, alcohol content, and calories. It’s a very healthy kind of wine that’s full of awesome nutrients. It doesn’t have the exact same benefits found in red wine, but white wine has strengths of its own too.
Calories in Roses
Rosé wine is a new fan favorite in the wine world. It has a pretty pink color and has exploded in popularity during recent summers.
In general, rosé wines have a very fruity, flowery, and citrusy flavor. It’s less sweet than white wine, much lighter than red wine, and makes for a very interesting drink. It’s also made with a unique technique, by macerating red grapes in its skin for just a few days to gain color before it’s fermented.
Unfortunately, the different kinds of rosé wine aren’t as common as those of red and white wine. Rather than being categorized by name, these are sorted by region of origin. Because of that, we’re unable to give you a detailed list of calories like the red and white wine, but we can give you a general idea of it.
Calories in rosé wine range anywhere from 83–147 kcal per 5 fluid ounces, which is the standard restaurant wine serving. In a 750 ml bottle or a 25 oz bottle, it would have anywhere from 415–735 kcal. However, since we understand that that’s quite a big range, do know that you can instead base it on the alcohol content.
| ABV% | |
|---|---|
| California White Zinfandel | Under 12.5% |
| Portuguese Rosé | |
| French Rosé | 12.5–13.5% |
| Spanish Rosé |
Health-wise, rosé is just as interesting as a glass of red or white! Since rosé is made from red grapes, it has a healthy amount of resveratrol but this will depend on how long it macerated with the skin. A good measure is that the darker the rosé, the more resveratrol is in it.
Quick Tips for Wine Calories
Since wine bottles don’t come with nutrition labels and every bottle is different, how will you manage your wine calories? Here are some tips!
1. Check The Alcohol Content
As we’ve been saying, the alcohol content is a good indicator of calorie content. Wine calories come from the sugar in the grapes, and the alcohol content is also based off of this since fermentation converts the sugar into alcohol.
Wine isn’t required to come with nutrition tables but it is required to state the ABV% on the bottle. Going from there will make things much easier.
2. Try This Formula
If you want to be precise, a formula can help you calculate it. To use it, you’ll need an exact measure of the ounces in your wine glass and the ABV% of your wine. Simply use this:
(Fluid ounces) x (ABV%) x 1.6 = Calories per serving (kcal)
That means if you ordered one serving, which is 5 oz., of red wine with 14% ABV, you’ll be drinking around 112 kcal since 5 x 14 x 1.6 = 112 kcal.
3. Limit Yourself Before You Start
If you’re somewhere else and can’t measure out your pour or check the ABV of your vino, you could just limit your drinks. Doing this will give you a vague idea of how many calories you’ll be drinking.
Limiting yourself will also help you stay sober longer. It’s a smart move that’ll pay off immediately when you won’t have to burn off even more calories the next day. This leads us to our last point.
4. Burn It Off
Burn off the calories! It’s always important to burn off excess calories with exercise so that it doesn’t add to your weight.
Any physical activity will help burn this off but it’s recommended that you spend around 30 minutes of intense exercise to burn off two glasses of wine. Dietician Lyndi Cohen also recommends around 30 – 40 minutes of light exercise, like walking or yoga, to burn off one glass of wine.
In Summary
Wine definitely has calories and drinking one too many glasses could be like eating a burger. Wine calories will always vary from bottle to bottle but at least now, you have a better idea of it. After all that, always remember that wine is meant to be enjoyed, regardless of calories! So go ahead and drink the wine you want, just be mindful of how much you drink and what you do after.
