Sarah on May 8, 2014 1 Comment Much has been said of the health benefits of enjoying a glass of wine every day, but there has not been much talk about how much one of these glasses adds to your daily caloric intake. If you’re trying to shed pounds or are interested in cutting your caloric intake for health reasons, it can be important to know how many calories are in your glass. The calories in the average glass of wine do vary slightly depending on the varietal. If you are offered a glass of wine and have no idea what type it is, 25 calories per ounce is generally a safe estimate. Since there are about five to six ounces in a glass of wine, approximately 125-150 calories per glass is a useful number to remember. This will, of course, vary if you prefer your glasses of wine on the fuller side or if you are sipping a dessert wine, which although comes in smaller portions, has double the calories. Calorie Chart for Wine (5 oz.) Varietal: Calories: Barbera 125 Cabernet Franc 123 Cabernet Sauvignon 122 Carignane 109 Chardonnay 123 Claret 122 Gamay 114 Gewurztraminer 118 Lemberger 118 Merlot 122 Mouvedre 130 Muller Thurgau 113 Pinot Grigio 122 Pinot Noir 120 Sangiovese 126 Sauvignon Blanc 120 Semillon 121 Syrah 122 *According to the USDA Red vs. White: Measuring Calories by Type The difference in calories between different types of wine is fairly negligible, but if you are trying to make healthier and lower calorie choices overall, you can start with the type of wine that you drink. Dry wines tend to be slightly lower in calories than sweet wines. So if you’re partial to reds, you’ll want to grab a Cabernet Sauvignon and if you prefer whites, you’ll want a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. The thicker the body or sweeter the flavor, the higher the sugar content will be, which in turn adds a few calories per glass. Port wines, for example, can have up to 300 calories per tiny glass. If you are in the mood to celebrate a special occasion, it is also worth noting that brut champagne has only 125 calories per glass. Is Wine Healthy? Calories should not be your only consideration when deciding whether or not to drink a glass of wine. Wine – and red wine especially – have long been associated with a number of health benefits that may make the extra calories worth it. For example, wine has been linked with fewer overall occurrences of certain types of cancer, most notably colon and breast cancer. Wine may have other health benefits, including a lower risk of heart attack and a longer lifespan. It’s important to note that all these findings are correlational and the benefits are not direct results, so it’s not a wise idea to think that downing mass amounts of wine will help your ailments. But, if you’re looking for a reason to pour a glass, these aren’t bad ones. Of course, your diet and exercise routine are always the most important contributing health factors, as well. Other Considerations If you are trying to lose weight, then it is important to keep in mind that wine, like all other alcohols, slows the body’s ability to break down fats in food. The liver prioritizes breaking down alcohol over breaking down food, so the fat from a meal you just enjoyed stays in your body longer and has more of a chance to turn into body fat. However, as long as you drink wine only in moderation, avoid binge drinking, follow a healthy diet, and exercise on a regular basis, this is unlikely to be a serious problem. Remember that sugar and alcohol are what contribute to a higher calorie count in wine, so look for types with low levels of each.
