Wine

A glass of wine might have more alcohol and calories in it than you would expect.  

A typical-strength medium (175ml) glass of wine has around 2.3 units of alcohol. That means drinking more than six medium glasses of wine a week would put you above the UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMOs') low risk drinking guidelines, of drinking no more than 14 units a week. 

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Cutting back on alcohol will lower your risk of serious diseases such as several types of cancer, heart disease, liver disease and stroke and is likely to improve your overall physical and mental health. 

Find out how much you are drinking with our Drinking Check self-assessment 

Cutting down on drinking can benefit your waistline too. Alcohol contains almost as many calories as pure fat (around seven calories a gram).¹   

Read on to find out more about the amount of alcohol and calories in different types of wine. And whether you drink red, white, rosé, prosecco or champagne, there are lots of tips on how to cut down the amount of alcohol you drink.

How much alcohol is in wine?

It’s easy to see how much alcohol is in wine - just check the label for the Alcohol by Volume (ABV), or ask at the bar.  

The ABV tells you what percentage of the wine is alcohol. The higher the ABV, the more alcohol is in the drink and the stronger it is.

What is a unit of alcohol?

The amount of alcohol in wine can vary. But wine’s typical strength means drinking a bottle in one session would usually be classed as ‘binge drinking’ (more than six units of alcohol in a single session for a woman, or eight for a man).²   

Research also shows that binge drinking over a three-to-six-hour period increases your short-term risk of accidents and injuries by two to five times.³

Are you a high-risk drinker? Find out with our confidential Drinking Check 

How many calories are in wine?

All alcohol – including the alcohol in wine, whether it’s red, white, rosé, or sparkling like prosecco or champagne - is made from natural starch and sugar. That means a large glass (250ml) has the same number of calories as a wafer ice cream cone with a flake (190 calories).⁴

What’s more, calories from alcohol are 'empty calories', meaning they have no nutritional value, they don’t benefit our bodies in any way. So, over time, drinking too much can lead to weight gain and start to affect how you look.

An easy way to cut your calorie intake from wine is to choose a non-alcoholic alternative, a lower-strength wine or, if you are having more than one glass, alternating between wine and water.

Cutting down on alcohol could help you get a slimmer waist, a sound night’s sleep, brighter skin and more time and energy. Find out more here.

Do different types of wine have more alcohol or calories?

The strength of different wines – whether red, white, rosé or sparkling (like prosecco or champagne) – can vary a lot. They are typically around 11-14% ABV, although some can be as high as 14.5% ABV.  The only way to be sure is to check the label.

Choosing a lower-strength wine as a replacement to a full-strength one can be a great way to cut out unnecessary alcohol and calories.  And there are more, lower-strength wines available than ever before in supermarkets and pubs. A lower-strength wine could be around 5.5% ABV⁵ – so the same size of glass would cut your alcohol consumption in half compared to a typical full-strength wine.

Even better for reducing your alcohol intake would be a ‘low alcohol’ wine. These aren’t allowed to be more than 1.2% ABV,⁶  and many are around 0.5% ABV.

Get the facts about lower alcohol drinks