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How Much White Wine To Get Drunk?

Rebecca Hanlon
Last Updated: August 1st, 2023

Having a glass of white wine has a refreshing tropical appeal that eventually becomes two glasses or even three glasses and more. You might not notice the overconsumption of wine before it’s too late.

The next thing you know, you’re slurring your words or having a hard time keeping your composure. The worst part is you might not even notice that you’ve overindulged until the next day.

Knowing how much white wine to get drunk is essential if you want to have a good time and wake up the next day feeling relatively fine for a productive day.

Most people can tell you unpleasant circumstances will result if you overindulge in wine or alcoholic beverages. Besides having a killer headache and a nauseous stomach the next morning, you’ll undoubtedly regret losing track of how much white wine you drank.

If you plan to consume white wine as part of your lifestyle, it’s a good idea to know how much white wine will get you drunk. That way, you can control or stop drinking before things get carried away.

How Many Glasses of White Wine Can Make You Drunk?

couple toasting glasses of white wine

It starts with educating yourself on the factors influencing alcohol intolerance or tolerance. And finding out how much alcohol your body can take before you’ve consumed too much.

These factors play an important role:

Body Weight

Some experts say when it comes to drinking too much alcohol, the body size has a lot to do with how much you can drink without getting drunk.

On average, a person weighing less than 250 pounds and consuming two glasses of white wine within an hour is legally intoxicated.

The blood alcohol content (BAC) measures the amount of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. Following the BAC, if you weigh 200 pounds and drink one glass of white wine, your BAC is around 0.04 percent.

If you weighed 150 pounds and drank one glass of white wine, you’d have 0.06 percent BAC. If fact, when the BAC is at 0.05 percent, you have impaired judgment and lowered alertness but feel uninhibited.

Muscle Mass

Consider this other essential factor in consuming alcohol, your body’s muscle mass influences your alcohol tolerance.

Like body weight, the more muscle mass your body has, the less likely you’ll get drunk on one glass of white wine. Actually, 75 percent of muscle mass is water, and that water absorbs and lessens the alcohol content in your body.

Percentage of Alcohol

percentage of alcohol

Alcohol by Volume (ABV) signifies the amount of alcohol in any given wine volume. ABV influences the taste of wine, meaning more alcohol, bolder and oiler tasting, hence most reds. Lower alcohol has a noticeably lighter taste, such as white wines.

You can categorize wine into four groups depending on their alcohol levels. You can decide which wine gets you drunk more by the glass.

Under 12.5% ABV – Low Alcohol Wines

Italian Asti, Prosecco, Muscadet, Zinfandel, Portuguese Vinho Verde

12.5% to 13.5% ABV – Moderately Low Alcohol Wines

Red and white Bordeaux, Spanish Vava, Beaujolais, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, French Champagne, Spanish Rioja

13.5 to 14.5% ABV – High Alcohol Wines

Italian Barolo, South African Chenin Blanc, Australian Chardonnay, California Viognier, Argentine Malbec, Chilean Merlot

Over 14.5% ABV – Very High Alcohol Wines

very high alcohol wines

California Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, fortified wines like Spanish Sherry, Portuguese Madeira, Malta wines, French Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

Alcohol Metabolism Rate

The rate the body can break down alcohol is your alcohol metabolism rate. It varies from individual to individual. Between 170 and 240 mg daily is an average for a person weighing 154 pounds, which equals one alcoholic beverage per hour.

Age

If you have never had a drink before, you’ll get drunk faster than someone who drinks regularly. With that, older people who drink have a higher alcohol tolerance than younger people not exposed to liquor as much.

Gender

smiling couple holding white wine glasses

Research shows that women are likely to have more ill effects from too much wine than men after consuming the same quantity of alcohol.

In fact, women are more likely to have adverse effects from alcohol than men, such as organ trauma or damage related to alcohol.

Food Consumption

Drinking white wine with an empty stomach is not a good idea because you’ll likely become intoxicated. The alcohol will go directly into your system, making you feel the effects of the white wine right away.

Even if you eat while you drink white wine, the absorption of the alcohol will still quickly happen because you hadn’t eaten all day. In fact, eating throughout the day before going out and having wine with dinner is better for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does white wine have less alcohol than red wine?

With a few exceptions, red wines contain more alcohol than white wine. However, the difference is minute, so the National Institute of Health doesn’t define the differences between the two wines.

Wines with Higher Alcohol by Volume Better?

Whether white wine with higher alcohol content tastes better is not verifiable. Thanks to people having different tastes, consuming wine is a subjective activity, and people like to drink wine that appeals to them. That is indeed what matters. Do you enjoy the wine?

With that, wines low in alcohol complement meals better, while higher alcohol content wines are bolder and full-bodied. And lower the level, the more you can drink with suffering through the many adverse reactions.

How Much White Wine To Get Drunk – Conclusion

Drinking white wine is enjoyable, but too much of a good thing can ruin the day or the next day.

So, when you pick up a bottle of wine, check the label and determine its alcohol by volume and decide how much of it you can drink responsibly.

Or, on average, have a good time and pace yourself with one glass an hour with plenty of water and food.

About The Author

Rebecca Hanlon

Rebecca has been a blogger for over 5 years, before that enjoying a number of jobs to fund her passion for travel. She's taught English as a foreign language, a part-time Barista, a waitress, and a tour guide.

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