Sugar In Red Wine (Which Styles Have The Highest & Lowest Levels)
A glass of red wine is a great drink to enjoy if you’re watching your blood sugar or trying to keep up with a low carb diet plan.
On average, a standard pour (5 ounces) of red wine has about 0.9 grams of sugar which translates to 4.64 grams of sugar in a standard 750ml bottle.
But, different red wine styles have varying sugar content levels.
This article will cover the specifics of where the sugar in red wine comes from and the sugar content in different red wine types.
We’ll also briefly cover the sugar content in some popular white wine styles
Further reading
Sugar Content in Different Types of Red Wine
Red wine has well-known health benefits when consumed in moderation. For example, red wine:
- Lowers cholesterol
- Regulates blood sugar levels
- Improves heart health
While red wine is pretty good for you, keep an eye on the sugar level of the wine style you like to drink. Let’s have a closer look at the different wine styles and their sugar content:
1. Bone Dry Red Wine
This is a low sugar wine with low sweetness levels and less than 1 gram of sugar per wine glass.
Here are some popular bone dry red wine styles:
2. Dry Red Wine
One standard pour of dry red wine has about 2 grams of sugar.
The sought-after dry red wine styles are:
3. Off-Dry Red Wine
These wines have subtle sweetness and contain about 3-5 grams of sugar per pour.
Here are some popular off-dry red wine styles:
4. Sweet Red Wine
Sweet red wines have about 13 grams of sugar in each 3-ounce glass.
A few popular sweet red wine styles are:
- Lambrusco
- Rosso Dolce
- Brachetto D'acqui
- Beaujolais Nouveau
5. Very Sweet Red Wine
A standard 3-ounce glass of a sweeter wine contains at least 15 grams of sugar.
The very sweet red wine styles to try are:
- Fortified wine like Tawny Port and Ruby Port
- Vin Santo Rosso dessert wine
- Lambrusco Spumante Rosso (sparkling wine)
Can You Find The Sugar Content on Red Wine Labels?
Most wines don’t carry the nutritional information on their labels (except for low sugar wine like keto wine, and some wine brands like Usual Wine, Un’Sweet, Dry Farm Wines and more.)
So, if you want to know the exact sugar level in your red wine, you can check the wine tech sheets (these usually include the residual sugar level, carbohydrate level, alcohol content, and other important information on each vintage.)
Where Does Sugar in Red Wine Come From?
Grapes contain natural sugar (fructose and glucose). During the fermentation process, winemakers add yeast to the grape juice and some of this natural sugar is converted into alcohol.
The sugar that remains after the fermentation process is residual sugar. This is what makes up a wine’s sugar content.
Both the residual sugar and alcohol content contribute towards a wine’s calorie count.
Red wine generally has an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 12.5-15% and 106-132 calories per glass.
After fermentation is completed, the winemaker can sweeten the wine with added sugar, but very few producers do that.
Now, if you want an interesting comparison, let’s look at the sugar content in the most popular white wine styles.
Sugar Content in White Wine Styles
On average, a glass of white wine (5 oz) has about 1.4 grams of sugar, which is a bit higher than the average red wine sugar content.Here’s a quick look at the sugar content for some white wine styles (per 5-ounce pour):
Dry White Wine:
- Chardonnay: 0.9g
- Sauvignon Blanc: 0.75g
- Pinot Grigio/ Gris and Pinot Blanc: 1g
- Chenin Blanc: 1.5g
- White Moscato: 2g
- White Zinfandel: 1.5g
- German Riesling: 14g
- Gewürztraminer: 2g
- Sauternes: 8g (for a standard 3 ounce pour)
Enjoy A Glass of Red Wine, Stress-Free!
As an avid wine drinker, it’s vital to remember that all wines have some amount of residual sugar. But, if you want to keep your carb and sugar intake low and watch your blood glucose levels, stick with the dry wine styles.
Meanwhile, are you keen to invest in fine red wine?
Check out Vinovest, a wine investment platform that will help you in sourcing, storing, and buying fine wines for you.
