Counting carbs? Dry wines are a good bet to keep carb counts low if you stick to just one or two servings. Our wine carb charts will help you keep track.
One of the things I absolutely love about wine is that there are a ton of wines that dont have much sugar, so theyre low in carbs. Of course, youre never going to find a dessert wine thats low carb (darn it), but that doesnt mean you dont have a ton of other choices. Reds, whites, rosés, skin-contact whites, and sparkling wines all have lower-carb options thatll help you stick to your low-carb lifestyle.
As long as you seek out dry wines, you will be more likely to find something low in carbs—be careful because some sweet wines have up to 20 grams of carbs per glass, higher than the average margarita! We recommend searching for Extra Brut Champagne if you are very carb-conscious.
Terms That Show a Wine Is High in Carbs
If you are counting your carbs, make sure the wine you purchase is dry. Avoid wines with words on the label that indicate they contain more sugar, such as:
- off-dry
- semi-sweet
- sweet
- dessert
- late harvest
- spätlese
- auslese
- beerenauslese
- trockenbeerenauslese
- halbtrocken
- lieblich
- süß
- eiswein
- puttonyos
- ice wine
- doux
- dolce
- sec
- semi-sec
- demi-sec
All wines labeled with these terms have a high residual sugar content that pumps up the carb count. How much really depends on the winemaking process and how quickly the winemaker ends fermentation to leave residual sugar behind. If a wine tastes naturally sweet, its high in residual sugar and carbs.
Carbs in Fortified Wines
Fortified wines are so tasty, but if youre watching your carbs, realize that many of them have higher carb counts. Dry fortified wines, such as dry sherry and dry vermouth (yup — vermouth is a wine) have less than 1 gram of carbs per ounce, but the sweeter fortified wines like cream sherry, sweet vermouth, port, and Madeira have higher carb counts because they contain more residual sugar.
These include:
- Sherry
- Port
- Madeira
- Marsala
- Moscatel de Setúbal
- Commandaria
- Mistelle
How to select low carb wines — Diet Doctor Explores
FAQ
How many carbs are in sweet wine?
What type of wine has the least carbs?
Is Sweet Wine low-carb?
Is sweet wine full of sugar?
Does sweet wine have a higher calorie count?
There’s a myth out there that sweet wines have a higher calorie count compared to dry wines. The thinking is, all those extra sugars in sweet wine tack on the calories, making for a higher caloric wine. We’re going to show you that this isn’t always the case. Wine is made up of water, alcohol and sugar.
Are red and white wine high in calories?
In general, dry white wines are lower in calories than red wines because they have less alcohol and sugar. A 150 ml glass of dry white wine can have between 60 and 200 calories, depending on the grape variety and fermentation process. Red wines, on the other hand, usually have more calories than dry white wines, as they have more alcohol and tannins, which are antioxidants present in the grape skins. A 150 ml glass of red wine can have between 150 and 230 calories, depending on the grape variety and aging time.
What wines are high in carbs?
All wines labeled with these terms have a high residual sugar content that pumps up the carb count of the wines. If a wine tastes naturally sweet, it is high in residual sugar and thus carbs. You should also avoid fortified wines, which are higher in carbs than dry reds and whites. These include:
How many carbs are in wine?
Calories and carbs in wine from residual sugar (RS). Distilled spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey, etc.) have nothing left but the alcohol, thus are zero carbs. However, mixers are often sugary, so watch for this. Just two ounces (1/4 cup) of “sweet and sour mix,” commonly used for whiskey sours, daiquiris, and margaritas, has 17 grams of carbohydrates.