How Many Calories are In a Glass of Red Wine?

For many people who are exploring wine for the first time or for those who are working toward a healthier lifestyle, understanding how a glass of wine fits into their daily calorie count is nothing short of an absolute must. After all, while an evening glass of wine may be delicious and have some other kinds of health benefits, it also adds to your overall calorie count. People often wonder about how many calories in a glass of red wine. The answer is more complicated than you think. 

Why Not Just Look at the Label?

Virtually every food and beverage product throughout the United States has a nutritional label on the package. At a glance, you can see exactly how much of your recommended daily allowance of a variety of vitamins and minerals come in even a candy bar. You can’t always do that with alcohol, though. The reason behind this actually dates back to the days of Prohibition. While the foods and beverages you see on grocery store shelves are all regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and thus required to carry a nutritional label, alcoholic beverages are not. They’re regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TBB. That agency makes no requirements about nutritional labels, so many brands simply don’t include them because they create added paperwork and expense to the process of production. 

So, How Many Calories in a BOTTLE of Red Wine?

If you can’t simply look at the label, how can you understand the calorie count in your beverage? It starts with learning two key pieces of information about the red wine you’re consuming. The first is the alcohol content itself. On the whole, alcohol has about 7 calories per gram. The higher the alcohol content in the wine itself, the higher the number of calories. 

The other factor that fits into this equation is the type of red wine you’re drinking. That’s thanks to the sugar content in the wine itself. Every wine has a certain amount of residual sugar. For example, a sweet dessert wine with a higher sugar content might have more calories than a very dry red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon. People wondering about how many calories in a glass of red wine might want to steer clear of the super sweet wines.

In general, there are about 530 - 630 calories in a bottle of red wine that contains 12 - 14% ABV. A 5-ounce glass, then, contains somewhere between 100 and 150 calories. Lighter-bodied red wines have fewer calories while a full-bodied choice will have additional calories. In most cases, though, you’re talking about a ten to twenty calorie difference between your wine choices. 

Meeting Your Goals While Enjoying Red Wine

You can still meet your calorie goals and enjoy a glass of red wine. It’s important to remember, though, that as with any alcoholic beverage, wine might change your eating habits. It may tempt you to enjoy a salty or fatty snack because of the alcohol. You can stick to your routine and enjoy a glass, though, but only purchase high-quality dry red wines. So, if you’re wondering how many calories in a glass of red wine, dry wines have less sugar, so you’ll naturally have fewer calories per glass. Higher quality wines, too, tend to have less sugar. Finally, stick to the recommended pour of five ounces. That will help to limit your overall calorie intake. 

Sticking to your daily calorie intake while still enjoying a glass of red wine is more possible than ever with our complete line of red wines. Check them out today!