How many calories in a glass of wine?
Wine in moderation can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet. A quick web search will lead you, in super speedy time, to any number of articles and research papers testifying to the health benefits of wine. But what about the amount of calories in wine? How many calories are in a bottle of wine? And in a glass?
Wine can have health benefits if enjoyed in moderation, and especially red wine. This is mainly due to antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols (and one called resveratrol especially) that may help protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart. Apart from just being heart healthy, based on findings from several in vivo, in vitro and human studies, resveratrol may also protect against a variety of other diseases.
But apart from these potential health benefits, wine of course contains calories. And if you’re looking to manage your weight, being calorie aware helps. So how many calories does the popular beverage of wine contain? We will answer that in this blog post, and specifically:
- How many calories in a bottle of wine?
- How many calories in a 250ml glass of wine?
- How many calories in a 175ml glass of wine?
- How many calories in a 125ml glass of wine?
- What are the lowest calorie wines?
- Recommended lower calorie wines
- How we calculate calories in wine
- Read all about sugar in wine here
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how many calories are in a glass of wine, as well as in a bottle. So let’s get started!
Calories in wine: How many calories in a bottle of wine?
When it comes to how many calories are in a bottle of wine, this depends on the alcohol content in the wine, as well as other factors like residual sugars and the density of the wine. The higher the alcohol, the more calories a wine will contain.
Arguably the UK ‘expert’ on calories in wine is Master of Wine Beverley Blanning. Writing in Decanter Magazine she says, “if you are looking to limit your calorie intake, you are right to focus on the alcohol content of wine, as this is by far the most significant determinant of its calorific content … Alcohol weighs in at a hefty seven calories per gram, which is only two calories fewer than pure fat.”
Using Blanning’s calories in wine calculations (see more below), a bottle of wine can have anywhere from about 460 calories to 630+ calories depending on the alcohol content. This table breaks this down:
| Wine alcohol level >> | 11% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 20% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated calories per bottle | 462 | 504 | 546 | 588 | 630 | 840 |
Thus, if you’re looking for a lower-calorie wine, choose something that has lower alcohol (like lighter white wines or sparkling wines) and also a wine that is drier. This visual representation helps to show that as alcohol/ABV increase, so to do calories.
Calories in wine: How many calories in a 250ml glass of wine?
There are three 250ml glasses (called ‘large’ glasses in the UK) in a standard 750ml bottle of wine. So, depending on the alcohol level, the estimated calorie levels will vary, but for a 13% 250 ml glass of wine you can expect about 180 calories. Here’s a table to break down things further:
| Wine alcohol level >> | 11% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 20% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated calories per 250ml glass | 154 | 168 | 182 | 196 | 210 | 280 |
Note: these numbers are estimates based on alcohol level alone. Residual sugars and density also come into play, but this should help to give you an idea at least!
Calories in wine: How many calories in a 175ml glass of wine?
There are about 4.3 175ml glasses in a standard 750ml bottle of wine (175ml glasses are called medium in the UK). For a 13% 175ml or medium glass of wine, that’s about 130 calories. Depending on the alcohol level, the estimated calorie levels will work out to:
| Wine alcohol level >> | 11% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 20% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated calories per 175ml glass | 108 | 118 | 127 | 138 | 147 | 198 |
Note: these are estimates and calorie counts can vary. Another resource for calculating calories in wines and drinks is the UK charity Drinkaware’s online alcohol unit and a calorie calculator for calories in wines and other drinks too.
Calories in wine: How many calories in a 125ml glass of wine?
There are six 125ml glasses (called ‘small’ glasses in the UK) in a standard 750ml bottle of wine. For a 13% 125ml or small glass of wine, that’s about 90 calories. Depending on the alcohol level, the estimated calorie levels will work out to:
| Wine alcohol level >> | 11% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 20% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated calories per 125ml glass | 77 | 84 | 91 | 98 | 105 | 140 |
What are the lowest calorie wines?
The three main contributing factors to calories in red wine are alcohol level, sugar and density. So if you are after a low calorie wine, choose something that has lower alcohol if you can, that’s dry and also that’s low-density/lighter-bodied.
Here are examples of lighter-bodied RED wines:
Note: choose wines that are dry for the lowest calories. Most of the organic red wines we stock are on the drier side. You can read more about calories in RED wine specifically via this blog post here.
For WHITE wines, go for a lighter-bodied white that’s also dry for the lowest calories. Examples include:
Note: most of the organic white wines we stock are also on the drier side!
What about calories in sparkling wines and rosés?
Sparkling wine is usually served in 125ml (or ‘small’) glasses and most are lower in alcohol too. So one standard small 125ml glass of 11% sparkling wine will have about 80 calories, which means it’s a good low calorie choice. Champagne and Spumante wines are also unlikely to have alcohol levels of much more than 12 or 12.5%. Perhaps not the cheapest way to count calories but arguably one of the most fun!
Rosé wines are typically dry, meaning they don’t have a lot of residual sugars. They will contain about the same amount of calories as a glass of red or white wine. All of our organic rosé wines are on the drier side too!
What about dessert wines?
Sweet and fortified wines like Sauternes, Port and Sherry are nearly always higher in sugar and alcohol than conventional drier wines. As we now know alcohol is the greatest contributing factor to calorie content and when you add that to residual sugar, it’s pretty much impossible to claim that these are the wines for those looking to restrict their calorie intake! However, their serving sizes are often smaller too so this may balance out. Take then a 120ml glass of Casal Jordoes Finest Reserve Port, it will ‘cost’ you 135 calories. Spend an active half an hour in the garden or a 20-minute jog and you’ll have pretty much burnt them off.
Our recommended lower calorie wines
Wines with lower alcohol will generally contain fewer calories, and especially those that are dry. You can find all of our zero alcohol and low alcohol wines here, and there are some recommended bottles too.
Lower calorie red wines
Mont’albano Refosco / Merlot is an adaptable, easy-drinking red with soft, dark red fruits.
£11.25
Mas de Longchamp IGP Bouches du Rhone Rouge is a refreshingly light red that’s been a hit with our customers for years.
£10.99
Meinklang Roter Mulatschak is an 11.5% Austrian red made be the popular Meinklang.
£16.25
See more lower calorie RED wine recommendations here.
Lower calorie white wines
Our Wild Thing Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh, lively and uplifting dry white from Spain’s arid La Mancha region.
£10.25
With just 11.5%, the Domaine de Pajot Les Quatre Cepages is made from a blend of four grapes and not too heavy on alcohol.
£11.95
Meinklang’s Gruner Veltliner is a zippy lighter white that’s a favourite among our customers.
£15.25
Lower calorie rosés & fizz
So many to pick from! But here’s a recommended rosé and fizz to start with.
Lower in alcohol, Giol’s Rubino Frizzante is a delicious lightly sparkling Italian rosé.
£11.50
For a sparkling wine, our Wild Thing Organic Prosecco is a delightfully easy style of organic Prosecco to enjoy.
£13.99
Calories in wine: How we calculate calories in wine
How did we work out our calucations for calories in wine and in a bottle of wine? We used the arguable UK ‘expert’ on calories in wine, Master of Wine Beverley Blanning’s, formlula. Writing in Decanter Magazine she says, “if you are looking to limit your calorie intake, you are right to focus on the alcohol content of wine, as this is by far the most significant determinant of its calorific content … Alcohol weighs in at a hefty seven calories per gram, which is only two calories fewer than pure fat.”
Blanning has devised the following useful formula for calculating the number of grams of alcohol in wine and subsequently the approximate calorie content:
- = (volume in ml x ABV% x 8) divided by 1,000
- take this number and multiply it by 7 and you have your calorie content, she wrote.
Let’s take a standard 750ml bottle of 12.5% wine as an example:
- = (750 x 12.5 x 8) / 1000 = 75 grams of alcohol
- = 75 x 7 = 525 calories in a whole bottle of 12.5% wine or 122 calories for a 175 ml glass
Wine Calories 101
Except for water, there is nothing that naturally has ZERO calories. Everything is designed to give you energy, and every fruit, vegetable, berry, grain, seed, and nut on the planet contains a different calorific content. The calorie content in wine is impacted by:
The grapes and sugar
Sugar is one of the primary sources of calories, with each gram of sugar (carbohydrates) containing 4 calories. Some grapes are higher in sugar than others. The more sugar there is in the grapes, the higher the calorie content of the wine. Thinking about whether the wine comes from a hot area (e.g. Argentina, Spain) or a cooler area (e.g. England or Austria) can also help to guide calorie content. You can read more about how much sugar is in wine here.
Alcohol content in the wine
During the wine fermentation process, yeasts eat at the sugar in the grapes and turn it into alcohol. While sugar contains 4 calories per gram, alcohol contains nearly twice that much at 7 calories per gram. The higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories.
As we’ve pointed out above, high-alcohol wines (like dark red wines and dessert wines) tend to have a higher calorie content. As most wines are ‘dry’ (in terms of the sugar level, rather than how fruity they taste), the alcohol content is a good guide to working out how many calories are in a wine.
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Note: If you’re keen to get accurate information, please consult a nutritionist.
** Please note that the calories given are an estimate only and are correct at the time of writing and according to the vintage in stock. Please contact us if you wish to be sure of the latest vintage of any wine and its ABV level.
