Calories in White Wine

Health conscious people are always interested in the caloric content of the food and drinks they consume. White wine calories can vary depending on the wine itself. Beverages/white wines is a term used to describe several varieties of wine, and the calories per glass of each can be different. For those who are watching their caloric intake and their general health and well-being, it is essential to understand not only the calories but also the carbohydrates that are contained in the wines they drink.

White wines can be found in several varieties, and these can vary significantly in calories and carbohydrates. Although most white wines contain between 100 and 120 calories per five-ounce glass, some can reach as high as 217. Carbohydrate grams per glass can vary even among wines with similar caloric content. If you’re concerned about the calories in white wine, you’ll want to examine the specific type of wine for more information.

The following table provides the calories and carbohydrate content of a five-ounce glass of white wine in the most common varieties on the market.

White Wine Type – Calories – Carbohydrates
Pinot Grigio – 100 – 2 grams
Riesling – 120 – 5 grams
Chardonnay – 120 – 1 grams
Brut Champagne – 115 – 3 grams
Sweet champagne – 120 – 5.1 grams
Sauvignon Blanc – 110 – 3 grams
Gewürztraminer – 120 – 4 grams
Vigonier – 120 – 1.1 grams
Dessert wine – 217 – 17 grams

If you’re watching your caloric intake, you’ll need to understand not only the calories and carbs in wine, but also how your body processes them. The human body burns calories from alcohol differently than calories from other foods and drinks. Most of the calories obtained from food and drink are converted to fat. This is not the case for calories in alcohol. Most of the calories in alcohol are converted to acetate instead. Conversion of acetate takes place in the liver, so alcohol consumption should be moderate to avoid liver damage from prolonged and excessive use.

Acetate burns faster than fat. For this reason, the calories in white wine are not as critical to your overall diet as those in other foods and beverages you consume. You can count on up to 95% of the calories in wine being converted to fast-burning acetate.