How Many Calories In Wine Are There?
Calories in Wine
Counting calories in wine is never fun, especially when you’re trying to relax and kick back with a glass of vino. Looking up the nutrition facts can be daunting, but if you are trying to watch your waistline while also staying social, it is important to know how many calories you are ingesting. I mean, if you don’t, how else will you know how many packs of Walkers you can have?
First of all, we need to establish your definition of a bottle. Wine comes in many shapes and sizes, and we love them all! Standard bottles contain 75 cl and larger bottles contain 150 cl. We won’t even talk about boxes of wine because if you’re drinking an entire box of wine in one night then you are an alien. Also, the sweeter the wine the more calories it will have. That sugar adds up and also will worsen your hangover.
I’ll admit, I’m really bad at staying on track once I have a drink, but with this cheat sheet we have no reason to be. Ya’ welcome!
Calories in Wine: A Bottle Of Red Wine
In an average bottle of red wine, such as Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon there is about 620 calories. A large bottle is usually twice the size of this, which means the calories in 150 cl. will be 1,240. This means that a glass of wine, which by the way is only 5 ounces, so if you’re like me and have been counting an Olivia Pope size goblet as a single serving, here is a wake up call. Anyway, 5 ounces is 120-125 calories.
Calories in White wine
White wine typically has a slightly lower calorie count at about 605 calories per bottle, 1,210 for the big ones. Again, depending on what type of wine you drink the calories vary. Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio tend to have a little more, whereas riesling (my fave) and Sauvignon Blanc have a little less at about 590 calories per bottle. This averages out to 118-120 calories per glass.
How Many Calories are in a Bottle of Blush Wine?
This pretty pink wine has become more popular with the recent rise of Rosé’s fashionability. Blush wines such as Rosé, White Zinfandel, and White Merlot have a little bit of a higher calorie content because they are sweeter wines. A 5 ounce glass has typically 125-130 calories due to the sugar content. This means a bottle of blush wine contains about 650 calories, or 1,300 calories for a large bottle.
How Many Calories are in a Bottle of Sparkling Wine?
There is something about a chilled, fizzing flute of Prosecco or Lambrusco that makes you want to celebrate. An average bottle of sparkling wine is 550 calories, or 90 calories in a 12 cl serving. However, a serving of sparkling wine, like champagne, is about one ounce less than a regular glass of wine.
So, How Does Wine Compare?
There are many options for drinkers, some may even say too many, so how does the calorie content in wine add up?
- How Many Calories are in a Bottle of Beer?
- Craft beer such as Blue Moon, Guinness, or Sierra Nevada average anywhere from 175 -275 calories per serving.
- Regular beer like Budweiser, Labatt Blue, or Coors Banquet have about 150 calories.
- Light beer such as Bud Light, Miller Lite, or Michelob Ultra brag their content of 90-100 calories per serving.
- BUT: Alcohol content for a serving of beer is significantly less than for a serving of wine. Average ABV for a beer is 4.5% where wine is 11.6%. What does this mean? You need to drink at least 2 beers to feel the same buzz a single glass of wine will get you.
- How Many Calories are in a Serving of Hard Cider?
- 12 oz bottles of cider such as Woodchuck, Angry Orchard, and Strongbow average between 125-200 calories.
- The alcohol content for cider varies between 4.5%-5.5% against wine’s almost 12% ABV.
- How Many Calories are in a Serving ( 1 oz) of Liquor?
- vodka= 65 calories
- whisky= 70 calories
- gin= 73 calories
- tequila= 65 calories
- scotch= 65 calories
- brandy= 65 calories
- rum= 65 calories
- BUT: Unless you plan on only taking shots all night (which I do not advise) then you are going to be adding calories in the form of mixers. Soda and juice are filled with calories, which will hurt your diet much quicker than a glass of wine. A Pina Colada or Margarita for example could set you back anywhere from 250-850 calories. That’s insane!
Other Tips for Enjoying Wine Without Going up a Size:
Drinking can really mess up any diet plan, but if you are smart you can indulge without going overboard. It’s all about making conscious decisions and being mindful in your sipping. Good luck!
- Stay away from Port or dessert wines. They are small servings with big calorie punches. These wines are approximately 165 calories per serving. That’s like, one sip. Pass.
- Sip slowly. I know that a problem for me is that I drink everything way too quickly. It doesn’t matter if it’s water, beer, or piping hot coffee– I drink too fast. The slower you drink, the less you will ingest, and the less calories you will put into your body.
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- Try drier wines. When your wine is sweet it can go down like juice, but the problem is that it’s not (even if you do refer to it as, “grown up juice,” like I do). When your glass of wine is dry, you are forced to sip it more slowly. Also, dry wine is not as refreshing as a cold glass of something sweet. This means you will reach for your water bottle more often, which is good for many reasons (see below).
- Make it a spritzer. My grandma always drinks her wine with soda, and she always serves it to me that way. She fills her glass about half way with her boxed White Zinfandel, and then fills it with 7-Up. When calorie conscious, change that soda to a diet form or seltzer and you will cut your calorie intake a bit.
- Surround yourself with healthy snacks. When you drink, your inhibitions lower and you tell yourself that it doesn’t matter if you plow through a bag of tortilla chips or eat 3 grilled cheese sandwiches. Ideally you wouldn’t shove your face full of food, but let’s be honest with ourselves here. It’s a lot better to eat a bag of carrot sticks with dip than it is to eat a whole frozen pizza, so try to have healthy snacks such as fresh veggies, fruit, or popcorn around.
- Alternate with water. Try to drink a glass of water in between each glass of wine. Not only will it slow down your drinking, but it will also keep you hydrated and therefore aid in keeping your hangover at bay. You will thank yourself in the morning.
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