How Much Sugar and Carbs Does Wine Have?
Although wines are good for us when consumed in minimum amounts, it’s still good to know how much sugar and carbs it has just in case we go over the minimum. Are we even aware of how much sugar and carbs every wine has?
Probably both yes and no, if we do check the label. In this article, we will go over some selected wines and see the real deal of how much sugar and carbs we’re consuming with every glass.
Total Sugar and Carbs in a Wine
Truth be told, all wines naturally have sugar content due to all the ripe grapes which are already sweet. As it turns into grape juice during wine processing, all its sugar content is converted into alcohol upon fermentation. Whatever sugar content remains after the whole process is called residual sugar.
The residual sugar is the very reason why the wines still taste sweet in every sip. Wineries usually indicate how much sugar and carbs are in the bottle. However, it’s still pretty complicated to gauge how much you’re getting on every glass.
Here’s a guide chart to show you how much sugar per glass you’re getting from different types of wine.
Type of wine / Sugar calories per glass
- Dry – 0-6 g/L
- Off-Dry – 6-21 g/L
- Bone-Dry – 1 g/L
- Sweet – 21-72 g/L
- Very Sweet – 72-140g/L
You’ll eventually notice that the more dry the wine is, the lesser the sugar content it has. It makes sense because dry wines are less likely to be sweet. At the same time, sweet wines will naturally have more sugar content because it has retained most of the grape’s sugar during the process.
Next, we’ll uncover how much carbs equivalent we get on every sugar calories per glass. This is important as much as to gauge and control how much sugar calories we’re taking. That’s because we’re trying to cut down on carbs and sugar due to health reasons.
Sugar Per Calories / Sweetness % / Total Carbs Per Glass
- 1 / .1% / .15
- 10 / 1% / 1.5
- 30 / 3% / 4.5
- 50 / 5% / 7.5
- 70 / 7% / 10
- 100 / 10% / 15
- 120 / 12% / 18
It doesn’t look much, but it soon adds up if you go beyond a glass per day. Picking a less sweeter wine helps you cut back from all the sugar and carbs and will even give plenty of room for another serving. Red wine has associated health benefits, so consuming it in moderation may actually improve your health – provided you steer clear of excessive sugar consumption.
If you’re wondering what types of dry wine you can get to save yourself from consuming too much sugar and carbs, here are a few varieties that you need to check out:
Dry Red Wine
- Malbec – 4 grams of carbs
- Burgundy – 5.5 grams of carbs
- Petite Sirah – 4.1 grams of carbs
- Chianti – 3.9 grams of carbs
- Pinot Noir – 3.5 grams of carbs
- Cabernet Sauvignon – 3.7 grams of carbs
Rose Wine/Dry White
- Chenin Blanc – 4.8 grams of carbs
- Chardonnay – 3.15 grams of carbs
- Pinot Gris – 3 grams of carbs
- Champagne – 1 gram of carbs
- Dry Rose Wine – 3 grams of carbs
- Dry Riesling – 5.5 grams of carbs
The impact of sugar and carbs from wines
When we think about sugar and carbs in general, it quite scares us thinking that all sugars and carbs are unhealthy. Things get even worse if those are added sugars such as fructose, refined sugar, and other additives in our food that make them extra sweet.
However, in the case of wines, it’s the opposite. The sugar and carbs in wines are natural. That means that no additional fructose or refined sugar is added to it but only pure natural sugar from the grapes itself. As revealed by the Nutrition and Wellness Service, the natural sugars in fruits, vegetables, and other foods are safe and don’t require any restriction.
Even though that’s some good news, that doesn’t mean that we can go loco over consuming too much wine.
You need to remember the recommended dietary intake according to your BMI on how much sugar and carb percentage that your body needs in a day.
And most of all, the secret to enjoying your favorite wine is simply moderation. Anything taken in the right consumption will never put you at risk with your health and overall lifestyle.