We are often asked how many calories are in a glass of wine. It got us thinking about other questions we receive when it comes to watching your waistline while still enjoying wine. So, we asked our Director of Sommology, Missa Capozzo, for her opinion on some of your most-asked questions about fitness and wine, from calories in wine to how wine fits into today’s most popular diet plans. Keep in mind that when it comes to health, diet and alcohol consumption, your greatest resource is your doctor. Here’s one sommelier’s take on keeping fit while enjoying the sip!
How many calories are in a glass of wine?
The amount of calories in a glass of wine depends on several factors, most importantly the amount of alcohol and the amount of residual sugar in the wine. A very dry, lower alcohol wine such as a very dry Champagne with only about 11% alcohol by volume (ABV) will have significantly fewer calories than an extremely sweet Sauternes with 14% ABV. Generally speaking, for a 5-oz. serving of dry wine, you can expect somewhere between 100-125 calories. For extremely sweet and higher alcohol wine, you can expect closer to 200 calories per 5-oz. serving.
How does wine fit into some of the popular diets these days, like the Ketogenic diet, Weight Watchers, and Whole 30?
This is such a topic of debate these days. As a former holistic nutritionist, I have always paid attention to how wine fits into healthy diet plans of all sorts. Some diets will instruct you to eliminate alcohol completely, but I disagree (then again, it is my job!). As with most things in life, moderation is key, and to deprive ourselves the joy of experiencing a wonderful wine (if that is something we enjoy) defeats the purpose of living a happy life to our best ability. But again, moderation and what is best for your personal health, are important factors. Enjoying a glass of wine with dinner or at cocktail hour here and there, I fully support. Whether on the Ketogenic Diet, Weight Watchers, Paleo, or any other specified way of eating, I suggest keeping the consumption low to moderate, and choose drier wines with little to no residual sugar. Living a ketogenic lifestyle myself, I have never found a reasonable amount of very dry wine to shift my body out of ketosis.
Summer sipping is fun, but what’s the best way to stay hydrated while drinking wine in warm weather?
One glass of water per glass of wine consumed will really help avoid becoming dehydrated while drinking wine, and this is true of both the warm weather months and the winter. Split your sipping between your favorite glass of wine and a glass of H2O and you will be making a healthy choice!
Need some advice on pairing a glass of wine with your healthy meal choice? Host a tasting, and discover how to pair wine with all the healthy dishes you love. Do you have a wine question? Send it our way at support@travelingvineyard.com, post to our Facebook page!
Note: Consult with your doctor regarding what is best for your healthy diet, including alcohol intake.