What is the best wine to drink when on a diet, white or red, sweet or dry? Here is the skinny on wine calories…
Alcohol in wine has more calories than sugar in wine. Wines with the highest amount of sugar have the highest carbohydrate content. Dry wines usually have a higher alcohol content. Beware of high alcohol in sweet wines because they contain the most calories. You need to check the label for the alcohol content percentages in all the wines you consume.
Red wine may have slightly more calories, but it contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing (LDL) bad cholesterol, and boosting (HDL) good cholesterol. So it looks like the potential health benefits are worth the few extra calories.
In 2015 the FDA will require restaurants with 20 or more chains to show wine calorie counts. But they won’t require calorie or carbohydrate info on wine bottles. I would like to see the FDA make it a requirement for wineries to put a nutrition label on their wines to make calorie counting a little easier for those of us watching our weight and alcohol intake.
I have listed several wines below with 1 being the skinniest and 9 having the most calories.
Approximate calories & grams of carbohydrates for a four ounce glass of wine:
- White dry: Sauvignon Blanc – 80 calories & 3 carbs
- Blush semi-sweet: White Zinfandel – 80 calories & 4 carbs
- White dry: Chardonnay – 90 calories & 3 carbs
- White dry: Champagne – 90 calories & 3 carbs
- Red dry & bold: Cabernet Sauvignon – 90 calories & 3 carbs
- Red slightly dry: Merlot – 90 calories & 3.5 carbs
- Red dry: Burgundy – 95 calories & 3 carbs
- White sweet: Moscato – 100 calories & 8 carbs
- Red sweet: Twany Port – 188 calories & 14 carbs
Here’s to tipping your glass and not your scale 🙂
Cheers – Carrie
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