Q: I’m trying to watch my alcohol and calorie intake, so I pay close attention to the alcohol content of the wines I drink. Is the alcohol by volume listed on wine labels always accurate? I’ve heard it can vary quite a bit from the actual percentage.—Randy, Northfield, Minn.
A: Many people are increasingly conscious of their alcohol intake, which has led to greater interest in both non-alcoholic wines and wines that are naturally low in alcohol. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, limit your alcohol intake for health reasons or simply embrace moderation, it can make sense to keep a close eye on exactly how much alcohol you’re drinking.
Alcohol by Volume and Wine Labels
In the United States, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) regulates wine labels. The TTB rules state that for wines containing 14 percent or less alcohol by volume (ABV), the actual alcohol content can vary by plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. So, a wine labeled as containing 12 percent ABV could range from 10.5 percent to 13.5 percent.
For wines above 14 percent, the permitted variance is plus or minus 1 percentage point. Wineries are also permitted to state a range on their labels. For wines at 14 percent or less, the range can be up to 3 percentage points. For wines over 14 percent, the range can be up to 2 percentage points.
Of course, labeling requirements differ in other parts of the world. The European Union, for instance, requires that the “actual alcoholic strength” be printed on wine labels. That ABV must be accurate within 0.5 percent. (The E.U. allows a slightly higher variance of 0.8 percent for sparkling wines and wines that are bottle aged for at least three years before release.)
If you’re especially concerned about ABV variance, you might consider asking the winery directly whether, and by how much, a particular wine’s label varies from its actual ABV. Some wineries also label their wines with a precise ABV, not using the standard half-percent gradation. In those cases, you can be reasonably sure that the stated ABV is accurate to the closest tenth of a percent.
How ABV Equates to Calorie Count
How do these variances equate to calories, and do they really matter from a health perspective? While there’s evidence that alcohol, in moderation, may have heart health benefits, and that the calories in wine aren’t ‘empty’ calories, there’s no denying that ethyl alcohol contains calories—7 calories per gram, to be exact.
When it comes to wine, the typical way to define one standard drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12 percent alcohol. That equates to roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol. Alcohol contributes the majority of wine’s calorie count—98 calories—but all wines, even dry wines, contain sugars and other compounds that contribute calories too. In the end, that standard glass of wine will typically contain around 120 calories.
What about wines with different amounts of alcohol? A 5-ounce glass of wine at 8 percent has just over 9 grams of alcohol, which—all other factors being equal, including sugar content—would equate to around 80 calories per glass. (Keep in mind that many wines bottled at lower alcohol percentages, like Moscato and German Riesling, often have a significant amount of residual sugar, so the actual calorie count is likely to be higher.) Going up to 14 percent, that’s just over 16 grams of alcohol, and around 130 calories. Up the ante to 16 percent, and you’re at nearly 19 grams and just over 150 calories.
Overall, a variance of 1.5 percent alcohol isn’t likely to have huge health impacts. In a 5-ounce glass, a variance of 1.5 percent alcohol equates to a difference of 1.75 grams of alcohol. That’s a relatively modest, though significant, 12.5 percent deviation from the 14 grams typically defined as one drink.
As always, talk to your healthcare provider about incorporating wine—at whatever ABV—into a healthy lifestyle.—Kenny Martin
