Calories in a Wine Glass

Now that the major holidays have ended, or thanks to New Year’s resolutions, you may be concerned with losing some extra weight. When you buy wine online, should you be worried about the calories in wine or its other positive and negatives from a health perspective as we start 2023? 

Wine and Beer: A Comparison 

Let's be aware that everything we eat, with the exception of water, provides us with calories and is therefore susceptible to causing weight gain. But whether a food ends up accumulating in the form of fat depends on physical activity, the metabolism of each person, the amount consumed, and the rest of the foods that make up the diet. In other words, nobody is going to break the scale with a beer or a glass of wine. 

That being said, what makes wine and beer "fatten" is basically alcohol. Beer also usually has 3% carbohydrates, which also provide energy but will not be taken into account here. Your favorite wine store USA has not only a selection of thousands of wines of all types, but also fantastic artisan and imported beer! 

How are calories calculated? 

The higher the percentage of alcohol, the more calories a wine will have; therefore, to calculate how many calories are in wine, it is important to know the degree of alcohol it contains 

In addition, you must bear in mind that the lower the residual sugar content in a wine, that is, the drier a wine is, the lighter it will be and with fewer calories. By contrast, sweet wines have a higher caloric content since they contain a vastly greater quantity of sugar. Therefore, the number of calories provided will vary depending on the type of wine, the variety of grapes used, the maturation time, etc. 

One expert in Spain consulted the nutritionist Lucía Estévez, who works at elBulli Foundation and is an expert in the nutritional benefits of wine and beer; he answered these questions more precisely: 

Kilocalories are the unit of measurement of the energy that the product contributes to the organism. In a standard diet, between 1,800 – 2,200 kcal are required per day and individual. Excessive kilocalories, those that we do not burn or consume throughout the day, are those that “make us fat.” Understanding this concept, it is time to calculate how many calories a beer and a glass of wine have. 

Calories in a glass of white wine 

A glass of wine can have around 150-200 calories; however this depends on sweetness, carbonation, provenance and alcohol content (the more alcohol the more calories). Usually white wines are less alcoholic, so they have less energy. It is one of the alcoholic beverages with the least amount of calories, often it does not exceed 90 cal. per glass, so go ahead and order wine delivery! 

According to the CESNID food composition table, a glass of 11º white wine (100ml) provides 70 Kcal per 100 ml. However, a dessert wine can have twice the calories of a regular table red wine and triple that of a dry white wine. 

As a reference to compare with beer, we use a glass of wine of usual size 125 ml, with 14% vol of alcohol (14 g of alcohol in 100 ml of liquid). The first thing to know is the weight of the alcohol corresponding to the 14% vol. To do this, we look at the density of the alcohol, which is 0.8 gr/ml: 

14 ml x 0.8 gr/ml = 11.2 gr of alcohol in 100 ml of wine. 

We express these grams of alcohol in calories, knowing that 1 gr of alcohol is equivalent to 7 kcal: 

11.2g x 7Kcal = 78.4 Kcal/100 ml. 

Since the glass is 125 ml, it is necessary to multiply 78.4 Kcal x 1.25 dl = 98 Kcal in each glass. 

As for beer, the alcohol level is usually 5% vol, and a standard bottle is 330 ml. The calculations are done in the same way: 

5 ml x 0.8 gr/ml = 4 gr of alcohol in every 100 ml of beer 

4 gr x 7 Kcal = 28 Kcal per 100 ml 

28 Kcal x 3.3 dl = 92.4 Kcal per bottle 

In conclusion, a glass of wine is fattening (or not fattening) just like a bottle of beer. They’re more or less the same. But remember, daily exercise and responsible eating are vital so that neither beer nor wine makes us gain weight. 

How many calories do grapes have? 

Grapes, in addition to being a great food, can help us detoxify our body. Its caloric value varies depending on the variety. Usually, white grapes contain about 40 calories per 100 grams and red grapes have about 60 calories. 

Keep in mind that for the elaboration of the wine, approximately 2 kg of grapes may be needed for each bottle of wine, although as we have seen, the total calories of white wine or red wine will depend on other factors. 

White Wine’s Health Properties 

White wine is one of the alcoholic beverages with the least amount of calories, it does not usually exceed 90 Kcal, which is similar to the calories of yoghurt. 

When, in its production process, the must is macerated with the skin and the pips, before fermenting, the white wine will contain more aromatic components and resveratrol, which is an antioxidant present in red wine with anti-aging properties and benefits for cardiovascular and cerebral health. 

Recent studies from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Education of the University of Harokopio in Athens (Greece) showed that the components of the Mediterranean diet, especially cereals, legumes, vegetables, fish and wine, reduce inflammation and help prevent diseases cardiovascular diseases, cancer and nervous system damage.