While wine, like many grape-derived products, includes carbohydrates, your body processes them differently than non-alcoholic beverages. You might be shocked by the number of carbs in a glass of wine if you count carbs.
With only 1 gram of carbs per serving, dry Champagne is the lowest-carb wine, but other dry wines are also relatively low in carbs.
Off-dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sweet wines contain progressively more carbohydrates and are therefore incompatible with a low-carb diet.
How Many Carbs Are There In Wine?
Whites and rosés have a larger range of carbohydrates per serving than reds, with dry Champagne being the best option at 1 gram per 5-ounce serving, followed by rosé at 3 grams per 5-ounce dose.
Wine | Number of Ounces | Number of Carbs |
Champagne | 5 ounces | 1 gram |
Dry rosé wine | 5 ounces | 2.9 grams |
Sauvignon Blanc | 5 ounces | 3.01 grams |
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris | 5 ounces | 3.03 grams |
Chardonnay | 5 ounces | 3.18 grams |
Gewürztraminer | 5 ounces | 3.8 grams |
Chenin Blanc | 5 ounces | 4.9 grams |
Dry Riesling | 5 ounces | 5.54 grams |
Carbs By Red Wine Grape Varietal
Each 5-ounce serving of dry red wine contains between four and five and a half grams of carbs. Pinot Noir from outside of Burgundy has the fewest carbohydrates among red wines, but Burgundy Pinot Noir has the most.
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Although there are sweet red wines and red dessert wines, they are uncommon; ensure that the red wine you purchase is dry. Generally, the more the wine’s body, the greater its carbohydrate content. The lower the carb count, the lighter the body of the wine. Before consuming a wine concerned about its carbohydrate content, you should always read the label or call for nutritional information.
Wine | Number of Ounces | Number of Carbs |
Pinot Noir | 5 ounces | 3.4 grams |
Shiraz/Syrah | 5 ounces | 3.79 grams |
Cabernet Sauvignon | 5 ounces | 3.82 grams |
Sangiovese (Chianti) | 5 ounces | 3.85 grams |
Grenache | 5 ounces | 4 grams |
Petite Sirah | 5 ounces | 4 grams |
Malbec | 5 ounces | 4.1 grams |
Zinfandel | 5 ounces | 4.2 grams |
Burgundy | 5 ounces | 5.46 grams |
How Can You Tell If A Wine Is High-Carb
You might find wine labels confusing if you’re following a low-carb or keto diet. There is usually a clear indication of calorie, carb, and sugar content on food and drink labels, but not on wine labels. You need to understand several different terms when reading labels for low-carb wines in order to find the ones that are best for you.
Cut The Carbs While Drinking The Wines You Love
When most people think of carbohydrates, they envision starchy foods or beverages with high sugar content. There is no starch and very little residual sugar in dry wine. During the fermentation process, the naturally occurring sugar in grapes is transformed into alcohol.
Technically, wine does not contain carbohydrates, but it does contain what dietitians and other scientists refer to as “carbohydrate analogs.” The USDA calls the carbohydrates included in wine “Carbohydrate by difference.”
This indicates that carbs are not found in the food; they are what remains after fat and protein are detected, accounted for, and subtracted from the calculation. These “carbohydrate equivalents” pertain to how the body metabolizes the beverage.
- The liver metabolizes the alcohol in wine.
- The liver converts alcohol into acetate, a form of fuel similar to carbs, fats, and proteins.
- Your body burns acetate before other fuels, converting it to energy before it has a chance to convert it into fat.
Remember that the carbohydrate counterparts in wine, especially red wine, may decrease your blood sugar rather than cause a surge. People with diabetes must continue to count the carbohydrates in wine, as excessive consumption may harm their blood sugar levels.
How Wine Carbs Compare To Other Alcohols Diet
The mixers typically do you in the case of other alcoholic beverages. Most distilled spirits contain zero carbohydrates, whereas liqueurs are high in carbs.
Infused spirits, such as flavored vodka, may have added sugar; therefore, if you monitor your carbs, you should research to determine whether the infused spirits consume added sugar. Many light beers contain very few carbohydrates.
If you are on a strict carbohydrate-restricted diet, the following alcoholic beverages without mixers have the fewest carbohydrates:
Beverage | Serving Size | Carbs |
Vodka, Tequila, Gin, Rum, Scotch | 1.5 ounce | 0g |
Dry Champagne | 5 ounces | 1g |
Bud Select beer | 12 ounces | 1.5g |
Dry Rosé wine | 5 ounces | 2.4g |
Michelob Ultra beer | 12 ounces | 2.6g |
Pinot Noir | 5 ounces | 3.4g |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I drink wine on low carb?
Ans:- Certain alcoholic beverages are low-carb or carbohydrate-free and can be consumed on a low-carb diet. These consist of light beer, wine, and pure liquors such as whiskey, gin, and vodka.
However, consuming no more than one to two alcoholic beverages daily is better since excessive use may inhibit fat burning and lead to weight gain.
2. Does wine have sugar or carbs?
Ans:- The average (5-ounce) glass contains between 0 and 4 grams of carbs. Residual sugar — the unfermented, natural sugar from the grapes that remains in the wine for you to taste — determines the carbohydrate content of wine.
3. Can Alcohol Be Consumed on a Low-Carb Diet?
Ans:- It is possible to drink alcohol while adhering to a low-carb diet since wide varieties of wine contain little or no carbohydrates. These consist of light beer, wine, and pure liquors such as whiskey, gin, and vodka.
Drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages daily may inhibit fat oxidation and lead to weight gain. Thus moderation is key.
4. Does wine count as a carbohydrate?
Ans:- Light beer and wine are low in carbohydrates, but rum, whiskey, gin, and vodka are carbohydrate-free.
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