When the good weather arrives or you watch your line, you have probably wondered how many calories a glass of wine contains.
Indeed, some wines have more calories than others due to their sugar level. Which wine has the lowest calories ? Is it better to drink beer than wine ? Here's everything you need to know about the calories of your favourite alcohols… In all cases, know how to please yourself – with moderation – !
How to calculate the number of calories in a glass of wine ?
There are blogs that claim to be a "wine reference" unfortunately relaying false information on the subject – this is the reason for this article -.
"We multiply the alcohol level by 1,8 to have the number of grams of sugar and voila "
This statement is anything but true. Explanation…
The proposed calculation
Counting that a glass of wine corresponds to 1/6 of a bottle, you will find as many grams of alcohol as the nominal rate displayed on the bottle. Therefore, for a wine at 12 degrees, you will therefore find approximately 12 grams of alcohol in your glass.
For our wine blogger, the rest of the calculation is simple : it would be enough to multiply this figure by 1,8 to get the amount of sugar in the glass. By keeping our example, we get the following calculation : 12 x 1,8. Our glass of wine would therefore contain 21,6 grams of sugar.
Finally, assuming that one gram of sugar is equal to 3,87 calories, our glass of wine would therefore display 83,5.
He ends his demonstration by highlighting the presence of residual sugars in the wine.
It was simple, no ?
In fact, this calculation is a magnificent mixture of approximations and lack of knowledge.
Unfortunately, all this demonstration starts from a false assumption that it is easy to verify. Indeed, a liter of pure alcohol is not equal to a kilogram, but rather to 800 grams. By taking again the whole demonstration, we come to a glass of wine that displays nearly 66,8 kcal – against 83,5 originally …-.
You're going to say I'm pinching, but what will follow is much worse. From this demonstration, we would have no less than 21,6 grams of sugar in our hands when we drink a glass. Strangely, this result is superior to those of Coca-Cola and its 13 grams of sugar for the same capacity. It's a lot, isn't it ?
According to our friend, it would therefore be better to drink a cola rather than a glass of wine… That's a lot because it's just plain wrong ! In the end, that is to say that any wine in 12 degrees of alcohol goes at least in the "half-dry" category, even soft…
We are therefore far from twenty out of twenty for this mathematical demonstration !
What is the real sugar level in wine ?
The Quebec Alcohol Corporation (SAQ) indicates the sugar level
Unless you have a site as well done as that of the SAQ, it is difficult to know precisely the sugar level in the wine. However, a simple table will help you know the sugar content in a bottle of wine. It's about the international standard for wine labeling.
| Type of wine | Sugar levels |
|---|---|
| Dry | less than 4 g/L |
| Half-dry | between 4 to 12 g/L |
| Soft | between 12 to 45 g/L |
| Sweet | more than 45 g/L |
How to calculate the number of calories in a glass of wine ?
Those due to alcohol
To get a rough idea of the calories in a glass of wine, this time we can use a calculation rule.
There are as many grams of alcohol as the nominal rate displayed.
One gram of alcohol represents 7 kcal.
To take our example, a glass of wine at 12 degrees contains 12 grams of alcohol. It therefore represents approximately 84 kcal.
A glass of wine = 84 kcal from alcohol
Those due to the sugar level
One gram of sugar represents 4 kcal.
As we have seen above, a liter of dry wine contains at most 4 grams of sugar. We can therefore say that your glass of wine contains maximum 0,48 gramme, that is to say 1,92 kcal.
A glass of wine = 86 kcal in total
Just to help you in your diet, it is basically 15 minutes of walking…
Comparative table of calories in alcohol
Finally, the table below allows you to understand the number of calories per glass of alcohol. It will allow you, from standard doses, compare your different consumptions and their caloric intake.
| Alcohol | Calories |
|---|---|
| Glass of champagne | 70 – 80 kcal |
| Glass of wine | 80 – 90 kcal |
| Glass of sweet wine | 140 kcal |
| Glass of Martini | 112 kcal |
| Half a beer | 106 kcal |
| Glass of whiskey | 72 kcal |
| Glass of cognac | 70 kcal |
| Glass of port | 90 kcal |
| Glass of tequila | 80 kcal |
| Glass of pastis | 73 kcal |
| Glass of gin | 99 kcal |
| Glass of cider | 42 kcal |
| Glass of brandy | 110 kcal |
| Glass of Coke (to compare) | 152 kcal |
It is important to have a finish
Whether it is a very reputable website or a small blog claiming to be a “wine reference” blog, keep your critical mind and don't blindly trust your readings…
A remark or question about what you just read ? You haven't found an answer to your question ? Don't hesitate to leave me a comment below ! You can also follow your wine blog with Instagram.
Well seen, well drunk
Thank you,
hoping that this article sheds new light on this subject !
Always good to know information… in any case do not exceed 2 glasses per day is more careful.
Obviously, the goal is not to promote unreasonable consumption but a respectful consumption of wine 😉
Wine is not just a sum of calories or lumps of sugar. It’s much more than that !