Alcohol has 7 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram of sugar. Fat has almost 9 calories per gram. This means that the calories in wine bottle mainly depend on the alcohol ratio rather than its sweetness. This also means that some dry wines containing more alcohol ratio can have more calories than sweet wines containing more carbohydrate ratio. If you are very conscious about the calories intake or you are on weight control diet, you need to know the alcohol ratio of your wine.
To calculate the strength of your wine, you need to check the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage. Alcohol by volume percentage ranges from 9 percent for some low calorie (low alcohol content) wines to around 16-17 percent for high calorie (high alcohol content) wines. The wines having low ABVs can go with your diet plan without increasing your total calorie intake. These ratios must be kept in mind while choosing the drink.
Normally, a glass of wine contains 110-300 calories. A 175ml glass of champagne contains around 133kCal, while the same amount of red wine contains 119kCal. This amount of calories roughly equal to a miniature bar of chocolate. Calories can be estimating by measuring three variables: alcohol percentage, carbohydrate ratio and serving size. It also depends on the fermentation process and the nature of fruits used. Mixed fruit wines have more calories.
Alcohol follows a different metabolic route than carbohydrates and fats. It gets metabolized through liver into acetate, which is used by the body as an energy source. This acetate doesn’t make you fat, but it may prevent burning of excess fat in your body. So if you are on a dieting spree, you should stick to low ABVs wines. Also, white wines are more economical in terms of calories than red wines. Measuring you drink before drinking can prove to be very profitable for your waist line. If you want to enjoy the beneficial effects of wine including good cholesterol, improvement of nervous function and immune system, and many others, you should drink moderately and keep an eye on the calorie content of your beverage.
To learn more, see a very helpful guide on calories in wines at Organic Wine Club Lifestyle blog.
1 Comment
Dimitri
April 12, 2015Great news as champers are more calorific than a glass of red! Just because I am not a fan!
On a more serious note, I agree that even though excessive alcohol is harmful, it is not correct to link it with obesity or gaining excessive weight. As per above, it is clear that we do consume a lot of calories in wine, but they are of different type. It mean that we still need to exercise in order to improve the metabolic rate altogether.
Thanks for the post!