Calories in Red Wine

Who can name the number of number of calories in red wine? It's a popular misconception that there's less in wine than beer. And because alcohol is a highly concentrated form of carbohydrate and contains a lot of sugar, it can pack a surprising punch.

So How Many Calories?

As a rule of thumb - why not allow 150-200 for a 175ml glass of wine. But that number does tend to differ wildly when you consider ABV and type of red wine.

The ABV (alcohol by volume) describes the percentage of the wine that is alcohol. So the higher the ABV, the more alcohol is in the drink. This makes is stronger, but means more calories. For example a 12% ABV wine contains 12% pure alcohol.

Comparing Calories

How do the calories in red wine compare with other types of alcohol? Here's what other common drinks contain:

• Standard 118ml glass of red wine: 115-120 calories
• Standard glass of dry white wine: 115 calories
• Large 14% red wine 175ml : 175 - 185 calories
• A pint of continental lager: 215 calories
• A measure of spirit: 55 (without a mixer)
• Sweet wine: 165 calories
• Creamy liqueur: 165 (per 50ml serving)
• 50ml of sherry or port: 60 calories

What's Good About Red Wine?

It's not all bad, however. Red wine also contains flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that help to reduce the build up of atherosclerosis (fat on the inner walls of the arteries) - this is why so many doctors recommended a glass per day for health reasons in the past.

The problem is when people consume alcohol in large quantities. The recommendation in the UK is for no more than two to three units of alcohol a day for women and three to four units for men, with at least two or three alcohol-free days each week.