Carbs in Wine: Your Go-To Guide

Wine isn't high in carbs, but the amount of sugar can certainly add up if you're enjoying more than a glass or two.
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If you're counting carbs or calories, you might wonder how wine factors into your diet. While it might not be super high in carbs, there are a significant amount of calories in a bottle of wine.

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While wine does boast some potential health benefits, it also contains a substantial number of calories. A small proportion of those calories comes from carbohydrates, but most come from alcohol.

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Wine bottles come in a wide range of sizes, and as such, the number of calories and carbohydrates in any one bottle can vary greatly. In addition to the standard 750-milliliter bottles sold in most grocery and liquor stores, you may also find half-bottles (375 milliliters) as well as magnum bottles (1,500 milliliters, or two bottles' worth). Even larger bottles of wine may be equivalent to four, six, eight or more standard-size bottles.

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Wine Serving Size

A typical wine bottle of 750 milliliters contains about 25 ounces of liquid. In the United States, a 5-ounce serving of wine is considered standard; by this measure, a bottle of wine contains about five glasses.

Wine contains no fat, a trace amount of protein and some carbohydrates. Because it isn't a source of dietary fiber or complex carbs, all of the carbs in a glass of wine are in the form of readily digested simple sugars.

Here's the breakdown of how many carbs are in wine for a standard 5-ounce glass, a half bottle and a whole bottle.

Carbs in Red Wine

The carbs in merlot or cabernet sauvignon come from sugar, and the majority of the calories come from alcohol. Here's the breakdown of the carbs in wine, according to the USDA.

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  • 1 glass: 3.8 grams
  • 1/2 bottle: 9.6 grams
  • 1 bottle: 19.2 grams

Carbs in White Wine

White wine carbs come from sugar, as all wines are made from grapes. Check out the carb content for various serving sizes of white wine:

  • 1 glass: 3.8 grams
  • 1/2 bottle: 9.6 grams
  • 1 bottle: 19.1 grams

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Carbs in Rosé or Blush Wine

Here's what you need to know about the carbs in rosé wine:

  • 1 glass: 5.8 grams
  • 1/2 bottle: 14.4 grams
  • 1 bottle: 28.8 grams

Carbs in Dessert Wine

Dessert wines contain significantly more carbohydrates and calories than less sweet wines, which is why they also usually come in smaller bottles and tend to be served in smaller glasses. When it comes to carbs, dry dessert wine contains:

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  • 1 glass: 17.2 grams
  • 1/2 bottle: 43 grams
  • 1 bottle: 86.1 grams

Carbs in Sparkling Wine

Here's the breakdown of carbs in prosecco:

  • 1 glass: 4 grams
  • 1/2 bottle: 10 grams
  • 1 bottle: 20 grams

Healthy Drinking Habits

According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, alcohol should be consumed in moderation — one drink for adults assigned female at birth and up to two drinks for adults assigned male at birth. These guidelines also define a 5-ounce glass of wine as one drink, which means that a 750-milliliter bottle of wine contains five “moderate” drinks.

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