Are Low Calorie Wines Worth It?
Surfing Twitter last night, this message caught our eye: “For everyone who swore off drinking for January or any length of time…forget about it. #winedoesntmakeufat.”
We had to retweet it, as within our Top 10 list of questions we are always asked, the wine and weight question probably ranks about a 5 (right after “Are you really from Somalia?”).
We’ve talked about this a lot in the past. How wine can help you win the battle of the bulge – or at least not contribute to it – and it’s a subject of endless intrigue. And why not? We would wager those who enjoy a good glass of vino also enjoy dropping a few pounds, present company included.
So, not surprisingly, the popularity of low-calorie wines are rising faster than the bubbles in fresh champagne. Which inevitably leads to the next question: are they any good?
That depends. As sisters interested in wine as well as health and fitness ourselves (seriously, when you see us out on a run it’s not because the liquor store is closing), we’re reminded of what a trainer once told us about chocolate. Knowing our sweet teeth sometimes dominate our decisions, she instructed, “if you’re going to have a piece of chocolate- have a piece of chocolate. Make it good and enjoy it. Don’t waste the calories on something sub-par.”
We feel this way about wine: we’re long time advocates of drink what you like, not what others tell you to (unless it’s us). Decide what you think is worth it. If you truly love a calorie reduced pinot grigio, than have at ‘er. But don’t forgo taste for calorie savings.
For New Year’s Eve we put together a little list of the calories and basic nutrition in some favourite tipples. There’s good news for us Healthy Winos – wine is among the most healthy of alcoholic beverages out there.
Here’s why
Wine grapes contain sugar, which converts to alcohol, turning the grape juice into wine. In hot climates where there is lots of sunlight, wines will typically have more alcohol (14-15%) because as any gardener will tell you, sunlight helps the grapes grow big and juicy (and full of lots of sugar).
In cooler climates (like here in Ontario, Germany or northern France), there’s less sunlight to produce big, sugary grapes, so wines typically come in at a more modest 12% alcohol – and in some cases as low as 8%.
So what does this mean to you?
Alcohol has 7 calories per gram.
So, if you are drinking big, bold wines, like Australian shiraz or California cabernet, that weigh in around 15% alcohol, you can expect to be drinking about 175 calories in a standard 6-oz glass. If you’re downing the whole, 750 ml/26-0z bottle (no judgement here) that’s nearly 760 calories.
If you prefer lighter bodied wines, like a northern Italian pinot grigio, Ontario riesling, or a lighter red like pinot noir or gamay that have about 12% alcohol, you can estimate about 120 calories per 6-oz glass or 560 calories per bottle.
Spoiler Alert: To burn that bottle off, a woman weighing 145 pounds would need to bike one hour, inline skate for 67 minutes, downhill ski for 80 minutes or run for 40 minutes.
If a low calorie wine advertises 100 calories in a 5 oz. glass, you need to decide if there’s real calorie savings for you. If you’re someone who would normally go through a half bottle of shiraz watching Jimmy Kimmel, then maybe the answer is yes. But if you’re already enjoying a low alcohol pinot grigio as your go-to libation, than likely the grass isn’t greener – or the drink isn’t cleaner – on the other side.
But be warned: most restaurants will serve at least 6 oz pours, and we’ve been to a few chains that will entice us to super size to a 9 oz glass for a better price (excellent idea).
And take a good look at the goblet you’re using at home and how much you’re pouring. Topping up a modern bowl could mean you’re downing 12 oz by the time the next commercial break arrives, in which case it’s probably best to go with total bottle calories, and divide and conquer that way (or ignore it all together).
