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How Many Calories in a Glass of Wine?The amount of calories in an alcoholic beverage depends on its serving size, and the drink's alcohol and carbohydrate content. First, let's establish a baseline by using the standard drink concept. What's a Standard Drink?A standard drink in the United States is any drink that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol (about 0.6 fluid ounces or 1.2 tablespoons). Below are U.S. standard drink equivalents. These are approximate, since different brands and types of beverages vary in their actual alcohol content.Note: Remember, all of these drinks contain the same amount of alcohol (14 grams), and therefore create the same level of intoxication, even if the percentage by volume is different.
Carbohydrates in Standard DrinksNote: These are averages.Carbs in Beer (12 oz. Serving)
Carbs in Malt Liquor (8.5 oz. Serving)
Carbs in Table Wine (5 oz. Serving)
Carbs in Champagne or Sparkling Wine (5 oz. serving)
Carbs in Dessert Wines
Carbs in Liqueurs (2.5 oz. serving)
Carbs in Brandy / 80 proof Gin, Vodka, Whiskey etc. (1.5 oz serving)
For more information on the nutrients contained in alcoholic beverages, check out the
USDA's National Nutrient Database.
Calories in Standard DrinksPure alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which is almost twice the calories of carbohydrate or protein (both contain about 4 calories per gram), but its not quite as bad as the calories in fat (9 calories per gram). Therefore, a standard drink that contains 14 grams of alcohol, will contain at least 98 calories. The difference in calories between these drinks is caused by their carb level.
Calories in Beer (12 oz. Serving)
Calories in Malt Liquor (8.5 oz. Serving)
Calories in Table Wine (5 oz. Serving)
Calories in Champagne or Sparkling Wine (5 oz. serving)
Calories in Dessert Wines
Calories in Liqueurs (2.5 oz. serving)
Calories in Distilled Beverages (1.5 oz serving)
So, the winner in terms of least amount of calories and carbs in a standard drink is 80 proof hard liquor, followed by table wine, champagne, beer, dessert wine, and last of all liqueurs. But if you're into hard liquor, this of course does not hold true for mixed drinks or cocktails which can be extremely high in carbs and calories. A Mai Tai contains 14 grams of alcohol and 15 carb grams in a 2 oz. serving (standard drink). That's 158 calories. But a typical serving can be as much as 5 oz., a whopping 395 calories and 38 carb grams. Are there any alternatives? Of course, Baja Bob's Drink Mixes are a good choice, they're low in calories and carbs. For the wine drinkers out there, you might want to know how many calories are in a bottle of wine. A standard 750ml bottle is about 25 fluid ounces, which contains 5 standard drinks of table wine. Compare, the calories in a bottle of wine below to 5 (5 oz.) servings of a Mai Tai above, that's 1975 calories. Ouch! Calories in a Bottle of Table Wine (5 Servings)
Clearly, dry white wine has the least amount of calories. But are there any diet or light wines available? Wines can be made light by decreasing either one or both sources of calories, that is alcohol or sugar. Most commonly, the calories are reduced by picking the grapes very early, before full maturity, or by removing the alcohol in a finished wine through a vacuum distillation process. A typical example is White Lie by Beringer Blass (which is marketed specifically to women). Beringer Blass developed a unique technique for making this Californian wine that involved harvesting the grapes earlier in the picking season when they have lower sugar content (brix) and fermenting the juice all the way to dryness before blending. This technique, dubbed Early Season and trademarked by Beringer Blass, results in a wine that tastes crisp and fruity but is also low in sugar, naturally making it low in alcohol and calories.
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