Sugar, calories and confusion: demystifying wine one sip at a time
- Benoit Labelle
- Sep 26
- 4 min read
Did you know that wine bottles are exempt from a labeling rule that applies to nearly every other food and beverage? While Nutrition Facts labels guide our daily choices, alcoholic beverages are exempt.
In its episode Les ingrédients du vin (July 14, 2015), the team at L’épicerie (Radio-Canada) pointed out that Health Canada justifies this absence of information to avoid suggesting that alcohol could be part of a healthy diet.
Since 2016, however, the SAQ has chosen to display the sugar content of its wines — an especially useful detail for health-conscious consumers.
At Hemmingford Winery, we believe that a well-informed wine lover is a happy wine lover. In this article, we invite you to uncover the truth about sugar in wine and understand why it makes up only a tiny fraction of its total caloric content.
Where Does the Sugar in Wine Come From?
It all starts with the grape, which naturally contains two types of sugar:
Fermentable sugars, such as glucose and fructose (also called reducing sugars) which are transformed into alcohol during fermentation.
Non-fermentable sugars, such as xylose (wood sugar) or arabinose (pectin sugar) which are not converted into alcohol and remain in the wine.
After fermentation, some of these sugars may still be present. This is known as residual sugar, which refers to all the sugars that remain in the wine, whether fermentable or not.
At the SAQ, the sugar content shown on product sheets only refers to reducing sugars, expressed in grams per liter (g/L). Based on this measure, wines are generally classified as follows:
Dry: less than 4 g/L
Off-dry: 4 to 12 g/L
Medium-sweet: up to 45 g/L
Sweet (dessert wines): over 45 g/L
For example, a dry red wine contains very little, if any, residual sugar, while an ice wine or a late-harvest wine can have much higher sugar levels.
To know the total residual sugar in a wine, you also have to account for non-fermentable sugars. Though present in small amounts (between 0.5 and 1.7 g/L), they do count toward calories, even if they have little effect on taste.
Residual Sugar vs. Sweetness: Don’t Be Fooled by Taste
A wine can taste sweet even if it doesn’t contain much residual sugar. Several factors influence this perception:
Acidity masks sugar, making a wine feel fresher and less sweet.
Tannins, found in red wines, dry out the mouth and enhance the sense of dryness.
Alcohol adds roundness and warmth, often perceived as sweetness.
Example: A very acidic white wine with 8 g/L of sugar may taste drier than a low-acid red wine with only 5 g/L but higher alcohol content.
And Those Little Crystals at the Bottom of the Glass?
The crystals sometimes found in white wines (and occasionally reds) at the bottom of the glass, on the cork, or inside the bottle are not sugar. They are tartrate crystals, also called “wine diamonds.” They form naturally when potassium and tartaric acid in the grape combine, often when the wine is exposed to cold.
These crystals are harmless: they don’t affect taste or quality. In fact, their presence is sometimes seen as a sign of minimal intervention winemaking.
Calories in Wine: What’s the Real Story?
The majority of calories in wine come from alcohol, not sugar.
Each gram of alcohol provides 7 calories
Each gram of sugar provides about 3.87 calories
A concrete example:
A 150 ml glass of wine at 12% alcohol contains:
12% alcohol = 18 ml of pure alcohol (150 ml x 12% = 18 ml)
Alcohol weight = 0.8 g/ml
18 ml × 0.8 g/ml = 14.4 g of alcohol
14.4 g × 7 calories = 100.8 calories from alcohol alone
Now add the sugar:
Suppose a dry wine has 3 g/L of reducing sugar + 1.7 g/L of non-fermentable sugars (worst-case scenario) = 4.7 g/L
4.7 g/L × 0.15 L = 0.705 g of sugar
0.705 g × 3.87 calories ≈ 2.7 calories from sugar
Conclusion: A glass of dry wine contains about 103 calories, over 97% of which comes from alcohol.
Calorie Comparison by Beverage (per standard serving)
Beverage Type | Quantity (ml) | Calories |
Dry wine (12% alcohol, 4.7 g/L sugar) | 150 ml | 103 |
Regular beer (5% alcohol, ~14 g sugar) | 355 ml | 150 |
Gin & Tonic (40% gin, 45 ml + 105 ml tonic with 8.4 g sugar) | 150 ml | 135 |
Cognac (40% alcohol, 0 g sugar) | 45 ml (1 ½ oz) | 100 |
Regular Pepsi (41 g sugar) | 355 ml | 160 |
So, wine is not the most caloric drink—but as always, it’s all about balance and moderation.
In Summary
Wine is one of life’s little pleasures. And like any pleasure, it’s enjoyed even more when you know what you’re drinking. Residual sugar and alcohol content directly influence the calorie count in every glass. By understanding the basics, it becomes easier to choose a wine that suits both your taste and your lifestyle.
It all comes down to balance. Staying active isn’t just good for your health — it also lets you fully enjoy life’s pleasures, like a good glass of wine, without guilt. After a hike, a bike ride, or a cardio session, you can raise your glass with a light heart. Burning energy is also what gives you the freedom to treat yourself.
At Vignoble Hemmingford, we believe in transparency, quality, and simplicity. Come discover our wines, chat with us, and above all… taste our passion!
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