Whether it is a big event, a birthday, a newborn being drawn into the world, or passing some qualification, to just a simple gathering of friends or family, nothing quite beats having a bottle of this much-loved drink at any party.
However, for those of us who are trying to keep track of how much we are eating or drinking, whether it is for health or weight issues, we often start to wonder what or how much these foods that we previously took for granted could be affecting us.
And, unfortunately, wine is one of them. Things like, how good or bad for you is ‘insert amount here’ glasses of red wine?
How many calories will you normally find in a bottle of red wine (You might also want to see: Does Wine Make You Gain Weight?)?
These are the sorts of questions that get people wondering, and it can be a serious obstacle when it comes to enjoying yourself at a party.
Well, fortunately, we have the answers to these kinds of questions here!
We are going to discuss just how many calories are usually found in a bottle of red wine so that you can drink knowing what your limit is (calorie-wise at least).
We’ll also cover a few different kinds of red wine and their specific number of calories, as well as some of the other health effects that you should be thinking about.
Does Wine Have Calories?
Before we go any further, we should probably clear up some confusion that people may have over this topic.
After all, some people don’t even realize that wine has calories in it.
That is because, while there is certainly no fat to be found in a glass of wine, there are certainly some calories to count.
Not only that, but because of how these calories are sent into your system when drinking wine, they often don’t have any nutritional benefit either.
So they’re not even the good kind of calories!
And because we don’t tend to associate calories with a drink in the same way that we do with foods such as cakes and other confectionery, we often accidentally intake more than we probably should have.
This can be particularly nightmarish if you are trying to diet or otherwise cut down, only to find the results of your cutbacks completely made redundant by an overzealous wine habit! (Are you on a gluten free diet? Find out if wine contains gluten.)
Where The Calories In Red Wine Come From
So, what parts of wine are adding to your daily caloric intake?
Well, there are a few factors at play here:
Amount Of Sugar
Coming from grapes, wine naturally comes from an ingredient that is naturally high in sugar content.
Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate that many health professionals often turn to as being high in calories, without many nutritional benefits to help balance its consumption out, if any at all!
It is estimated that there are around 3 grams of carbs and sugar in around 150ml of red wine.
Whilst that might not feel like a lot, especially whilst you are drinking it, keep in mind that a very sweet dessert meal tends to have 20 grams of carbs in them.
That means, in a single glass of dessert red, there is almost a quarter of the amount that you’ll find in that delicious cake slice!
Even drier wines can’t escape from the residual sugar, as even the driest white wines will contain a small amount.
Alcohol Content
However, if you thought that the sugar content of red wine was an issue, just wait until you take a look at the alcohol itself!
Per gram of alcohol, you can find up to 7 calories, which is almost double what you will find in terms of the calories of sugar in the wine, which clocks in at around 4 calories.
However, when it comes to the alcohol calories of red wine, at least these calories aren’t metabolized as quickly as the sugar in the drink.
Meaning, in terms of the short-term intake, sugar is still probably the heavier aspect of wine.
Measuring Calorie Intake Of Red Wine
In terms of how calories are measured in red wine, there are usually two main options that are factored into measurements: Glasses, and the bottle itself.
Because wine in public is often served in glasses that are just under 150 milliliters in capacity, wine is often measured by this amount, when we are discussing calories (See Also: How To Hold A Wine Glass).
Through this, we are also usually able to determine the calories that you find in a bottle of red wine.
Amount Of Calories In Red Wine
So, with all those factors and amounts noted and taken into account, what exactly is the number of calories that you can expect to find in a bottle?
Well, on average, the number of calories that you will find in a bottle of red wine is somewhere in the realms of 530 to 660 calories in a single bottle.
When compared to the caloric intake that a bottle of white wine has, around 490 to 590, and can be as much as 70 calories more, depending on the type of wine.
As we have already mentioned, this number can be affected by the specific type of wine that is being drunk.
For example, a 150-milliliter glass of Riesling white wine will have 118 calories in a glass, compared to the same amount of Pinot Noir, which can be as much as 121 calories per glass.
That might make you tempted to opt for a wine that is sold as ‘low-calorie’ wine, but that may not always be ideal, having over 80 of the same calorie number in some cases, so be careful when buying.
Final Thoughts
So, it turns out that red wine does have a few calories in it.
However, if you take those into account in your meal plans, then you can still enjoy it without ruining your diet.
Hi, I’m Rachel Edwards and I enjoy a glass of wine as much as the rest of them. Well, maybe slightly more.
My parents own a vineyard in Napa Valley and were constantly making new wines for the locals to try. Their brand was one of the most popular across the US at one point. My sister and I loved running up and down the vines, picking the grapes for our parents, and even helping with the ideas.
Since moving out of the family home, my love for wine has not waivered - in fact, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. I’m always the one to bring the wine to our girly gatherings, family meals, and picnics - let me know what we’re doing, and I’ll supply the goods.
