Everyone wants to have their cake and enjoy it too. In this case, the cake is wine, and we think you should be enjoying it without worry. The truth is, when it comes to alcoholic beverages, wine is healthier compared to beer, which is carb-heavy. But then, you start comparing types of wines, and things get a little more confusing: red wine has more health benefits than white wine or sparkling wine, but not all red wines are created equal.
Red wine differs in nutrients because different cultivators of grapes contain various nutrients, and wines are prepared and produced in multiple methods. This, therefore, leads to some wines having more sugar than others. Confused? Good! Because we're diving headfirst into the world of wine and explain what you should be looking for so you can have your wine and enjoy it too.
Is Wine Healthy?
While a glass of wine can be part of a balanced diet for your health, it still contains high calories from sugar and alcohol. While most wine labels are elegant and eye-catching, they don't bestow any information about the number of calories present in the bottle or a full breakdown of the nutrition facts.
The FDA has declared that alcoholic beverages are not healthy and, therefore, are not labeled.
If you are trying to be healthy, it is crucial to know how much you are drinking and making sure you aren't over-indulging daily while still enjoying the best wines like your Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Sauvignons. According to the American Heart Association, men should consume no more than two glasses of wine per day, and women should limit wine consumption to one glass of wine per day. One drink typically consists of five ounces of wine, which equates to 129 calories in a five-ounce pour.
Will Wine Make Me Gain Weight?
Understanding that wines have varying calorie content doesn't exactly help you know whether you're allowed or should drink wine while on a diet. First of all, you're allowed to do whatever you want. It's your world; wine is just living in it. Second of all, it could also depend on what diet you're doing and if it's for weight loss. If you've cut all carbs and sugar, we're going to make a logical assumption that alcoholic drinks are not on your list of okay foods. There are millions of diets out there, so make sure you understand what is and isn't allowed on whatever diet program you are following if you're watching your waistline.
The truth is wine, in general, doesn't have that much sugar or amount of calories, whether it's white or red wine. But, after a few glasses, wine calories and sugar start to add up. So here's the thing to remember with wine and alcohol in general: moderation is key. Moderation is crucial in pretty much everything we do. And yes, we feel like this has been told to us hundreds of times, but then we over workout, overeat, over obsess over an ex on Instagram…. the point is, moderation is challenging but essential. To be healthy or go on a diet, science indicates that excessive alcohol intake does slow fat burning and cause weight gain. Takeaway: if you're worried about losing weight or gaining weight, simply think moderation.
Lastly, as good friends to wine, we must also defend its honor and share that wine does have beneficial aspects. For example, wine has been known to increase good cholesterol and reduce the odds of heart disease. So basically, if you're drinking lower-calorie wines, like Bev, and drinking in moderation, keep doing you! You're killing it!
If you're looking for wines that are low in calories, here are some tips:
Reach for bubbly: sparkling wine is the easiest way to reduce calorie intake from wine, so pop that Prosecco!
Look at the ABV Percentage: Lower alcohol means a lower calorie intake. Wines with nine to thirteen percent will provide you with fewer calories than a wine with a higher alcohol content like a Red Zinfandel. Low alcohol tends to mean you are getting a low-calorie wine.
Stick to your dry wines: The sweeter the wine, the more calories. We think we've mentioned this before.
Watch your pour: as we mentioned, wine is typically that high in sugar or calories, but after a few glasses, the sugar and calories start to add up. Another option is to stick to canned wine, like Bev, where you can precisely monitor your intake and calories!
Where Do Wine Calories Come From?
Calories and wine come from alcohol and sugar. Wine is made up of alcohol, carbohydrates, and trace minerals. The carbohydrates in wine come from the residual sugar that is left in the wine. FYI, alcohol adds a higher calorie count to wine than sugar, with seven calories per gram. In contrast, sugar content adds around four calories per gram. With that in mind, you can assume the more alcohol by volume, the more calories a glass of wine will have.
Which Wine Is the Lowest in Calories?
A wine's sweetness dramatically impacts the number of calories in white wine. Why? During fermentation, yeast is a queen who uses her superpowers to turn natural sugar into alcohol. To make a sweeter wine, winemakers prevent the yeast from eating up all of the sugar. This leaves a little residual sugar that allows the wine to be sweet. In contrast, dry wine is allowed to thoroughly go through the fermentation process and leave a wine with some sugar in it but very little.
The sweeter the wine, the more calories it has. Dry white wines have zero to six calories from sugar, off-dry wines have 10 to 30 calories from sugar, sweet wines have 30 to 72 calories from sugar, and very sweet wines have 72 to 130 calories from extra sugar.
The frustrating thing about wine is that it doesn't have nutritional labels. The FDA believes that alcoholic beverages are not classified as nutritious and do not deserve a nutrition label. FDA, if you're reading this, we'd like to point out that wine does have health benefits like lowering the chance of stroke and heart disease. If you're attempting to decipher how many calories are in a bottle of wine because you're on a healthy eating kick, here's a trick: add the calories of alcohol with the calories of carbs.
Here is a break down of the different types of white wine:
Chardonnay: The most popular type of wine since the 1990s, Chardonnay is bold and dry with intense flavors. In a five-ounce serving of Chardonnay, there are 123 calories.
Sauvignon Blanc: Because this wine is dry, you can expect it to have very little residual sugar. A light-bodied, herbaceous wine with herbal aromas like grass and bell pepper, Sauvignon Blanc has 122 calories per five ounces glass.
Semillon: Bold and dry, like Chardonnay, this wine is filled with intense flavors of lemon, pear, apple, and green papaya. Per the five-ounce serving of Semillon, you can expect around 122 calories in a serving size.
Moscato: With few residual sugars, Moscato is light, sweet, and very aromatic. It typically has around 127 calories in five ounces of wine.
Pinot Grigio: Light-bodied, dry, and zesty with fruity flavors like lime, pear, lemon, apple, and white nectarine, Pinot Grigio clocks in at 120 calories per five-ounce serving.
Gewürztraminer: With just a touch of residual sugar, Gewürztraminer is full-bodied with low acidity. This spritzy wine has about 118 in a five-ounce serving.
Riesling: Slightly sweet and very aromatic, Riesling has primary fruit aromas of orchard fruits like apricot, apple, pear, and nectarine and is sometimes considered a sweet dessert wine. For a five-ounce glass of Riesling, you can expect around 120 calories.
What is One Serving of Wine?
One drink typically consists of five ounces of wine, which equates to 129 calories in a five-ounce pour.
SHOP BEV NOW