If you are counting calories for a diet, you are probably aware that everything has a calorie count—even your nightly glass of red wine.
But just how many calories are in wine? Many people think that either wine has a lesser calorie count than other alcoholic drinks or that a simple glass has a huge number of calories.
Let’s look at the specifics of wine to give us an idea of just how many calories lurk in a glass of wine. I am using a regular wine glass measurement of 125-150 mls (4 fl oz).
Alcohol Content
Alcohol itself tends to have a lot of calories, so wine that has high alcohol content per volume will have more calories as well. Likewise, wine with a lesser alcohol content will have fewer calories.
Most wines will have a maximum of 15% alcohol per volume in their bodies. So you can estimate how many calories are in wine based on this percentage (the higher the percentage, the higher the calorie count).
Fortified vs. Unfortified
Fortified wines such as Port, Muscatel, and Sherry will generally have a higher calorie count than unfortified wines. Although they are normally served in smaller glasses, a single glass of fortified wine will have about twice as many calories as unfortified wines.
In a single glass of fortified wine, there are about 165 to 185 calories. This is good to know even if you will be cooking with wine and not drinking it straight. Depending on how much a recipe calls for, you will be adding nearly a couple hundred extra calories to your meal.
Calories per Glass
You will find that dry white wines have a lower calorie count than their red counterparts. A normal glass of any White Zinfandel, Chablis, or Sauvignon Blanc usually has about 80 calories. Of course, if you have a larger glass, your calorie count will be higher!
Red wines tend to have more calories than whites, ranging from 90-95 calories per glass. Even a dieter can respect that number when it comes to relaxing with a glass of red wine.
Champagne is kind of in the middle of reds and fortified wines. If you think about how many calories are in wine, you may think that Champagne has a lot more calories than other wines because of its carbonation and sweetness. But a single glass of Champagne will really only have about 100-105 calories, which isn’t that much more than red wines.
Even if you are not counting calories and are simply interested in the nutritional aspects of wine, you will find that compared to other alcoholic drinks, wine is on the lower end of the scale when it comes to calories. Plus, red wine actually offers health benefits when consumed moderately.
Take these details into consideration (especially the health aspects) when figuring out how many calories are in wine.
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