Are the carbs in wine enough to knock you out of ketosis? Here’s what you need to know to find a low carb wine suitable for enjoying on a keto diet plan.
A lot of people enjoy a good wine with dinner or socializing with friends. In fact, many feel a glass a day is good for health.
But if you’re watching your carbs and blood sugar levels, is it ok to drink this alcoholic beverage made with fermented grape juice? And are grapes even on the low carb fruits list?
How Many Carbs Does Wine Contain?
A key fact is that the drier the wine, the less residual sugar it has. So dry wine is what you want to drink if you’re really watching your sugar intake. On the other hand, sweet wines such as port tend to be higher in sugar.
Most wines have anywhere between 1-4 grams of residual sugar per 5 ounce serving. But most bottles do not have a nutritional label or test for carb content. You’ll may need to go by other indicators.
Taste is be far the best indicator. Sweeter wine has more carbs so stick to those on the drier side. Wine Folly has some great sweetness charts to help you determine what wine has the least amount of carbs.
Based on the red wine chart, tempranillo and sangiovese are the least sweet. The driest white wines listed on the chart are sauvignon blanc and muscadet.
Are The Carbs in Red Wine Worth It?
If you’re on a ketogenic diet, you might be wondering if it’s even worth having just one glass of wine. Will doing so kick you out of ketosis?
Ketosis is a complex physiological process. You’ll have to test yourself to see if drinking red wine kicks you out of ketosis because everyone is different.
One person may be able to have 20 net grams of carbs plus a glass of red wine and stay in ketosis. But another may need to limit net carbs to 15 if they want to enjoy a glass of red wine.
However, if weight loss if your goal, it might be better to stay away from drinking alcohol altogether regardless of the carb count. That’s because it isn’t calorie free and calories on keto do matter when trying to lose weight.
Now let’s answer a larger question….
Is Wine Healthy?
Up until the latter part of 2018, the answer, according to most health experts would have been a resounding “yes.” At least with drinking red wine in moderation.
After all, moderate wine consumption has been linked to several positive health outcomes. It has been shown to increase HDL (good) cholesterol while also decreasing LDL (bad) levels. (This is according to research from this meta-analysis of wine consumption.)
Furthermore, a study of type 2 diabetics showed no link between moderate wine consumption and weight gain or increasing body fat.
However, a study in The Lancet concluded that no amount of alcohol is good for your overall health.
But if the only health metric you’re concerned with is grams of net carbs, some wines may be ok for low-carb diets.
Just remember that not all wines are created equally. Keto friendly wines have a higher alcohol content and less sugar.
Low Carb Wine: More Calories But Less Sugar
If you’re counting calories, choose a lower alcohol-by-volume content. This is because wines with high alcohol content are typically higher in calories.
However, if you’re not counting calories, and only grams of carbohydrates, you get to enjoy a better buzz. Wine with higher alcohol content has less residual sugar.
This fact can be confusing. After all, isn’t alcohol a sugar? So wouldn’t it make sense that more alcohol equals more sugar?
Not exactly.
You see, during the fermentation process in wine making, the yeast eats up much of the sugar.
Wines with a higher alcohol by volume content ferment longer. Wine starts off as a high-carb beverage. But during fermentation, the microscopic organisms eat most of the fructose and glucose in the grapes.
Dry wines are essentially low carb wines. A dry red wine contains only about a gram of residual sugar.
Low carb red wines are about 14-15% alcohol by volume. Red wine that’s 13% alcohol by volume or lower will be higher in residual sugar.
How Many Carbs in Red Wine Vs. White Wine
Strict calorie counters will probably go for white wine over red. That’s because white wine usually has less alcohol per volume than red wine, which means less calories.
Remember: the lower the alcohol percentage, the higher the residual sugar. That’s the amount of sugar that’s left over after the fermentation process.
But are red wine carbs lower than those in white wine?
Regardless if the wine is red or white, a dry wine will have almost no residual sugar. In general, the cheaper the bottle of wine, the more residual sugar it will have. If you buy a decent bottle of wine in the $15-20 range, it will likely have very little residual sugar.
There are exceptions to the rule, with port wine being a big exception. A serving of port wine can have 10 grams or more of residual sugar.
Another generalization with wine is that full-bodied varieties (rich, complex flavor) are higher in sugar.
Carbs in Red Wine Are Low, Appetite Is High
Even if you stick to very dry wine, keep in mind that drinking alcohol can stimulate appetite. People who drink regularly tend to eat more calories.
But if you can regulate your appetite, you’re probably ok with having a glass everyday.
Nonetheless, sugar grams add up. So it’s helpful to learn what types of wine are best for a low carb lifestyle….
Buy Dry
If you’re looking for a smart low carb wine choice, a dry red wine is one of your best options.
Red wine has been suggested to play a key role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and other chronic pathologies, including cancer, according to this study.
Dry reds are less sweet, hence, they have less sugar.
A dry wine contains only up to 10 grams of sugar per liter. There are plenty of dry wine options that contain only 5 grams of sugar per liter or less.
Remember, in general, the drier the wine, the less residual sugar it has.
Don’t Put A Label On It
A bottle of wine does not indicate how many grams of carbs there are. Only the alcohol by volume percentage is indicated.
Again, if you’re concerned about carbs, a good low carb wine choice is a bottle with approximately 15% alcohol by volume or higher.
Although some expensive wines can be very high in sugar (think: port, muscat, Madeira), if you stick with a dry or semidry (referred to in the wine industry as ‘off dry’), you’ll likely keep your carb count down.
Smart low carb wine choices
The following styles of red wine are typically lowest in carbs:
- Pinot Noir
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Sangiovese (Chianti)
- Shiraz
If you prefer a white wine, try these:
- Savignon Blanc
- Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris
- Chardonnay
- Muscadet
- Albariño
- Grüner Veltliners
Strict low carb and wine every night?
Sure, it’s possible to be very low carb and have a glass of wine every night.
If you keep your daily carb intake low there’s indeed plenty of room in a strict low-carb diet for a glass of wine every night.
Maybe even two glasses if you’re an oenophile. Just remember to stick to the best low carb wine choices. Drink a dry wine that’s not super cheap.
Also important to remember is that if you are doing intermittent fasting, you’ll feel the effects of the alcohol more intensely. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Drinking one glass can feel like two. But two may make you feel too tipsy.
Other Low Carb Information
If you’re just getting started with low carb, you may want to check out these articles too:
- Low Carb Yogurt Options For Keto
- Carbs in Almond Flour and Coconut Flour
- Using a Fat Fast for weight loss on a Ketogenic Diet
- How to make Low Carb Tortillas at home