Is Wine Low in Carbs?

Question from Joe: Excellent article on wine.  Are there any “low carb” wines?  After all they have light beers.

Answer from Martha: Glad you enjoyed the wine article! You asked a good question. Many people assume that wine is high in carbs because it is made from grapes. However, in the process of making the wine, yeast is used to ferment the grapes. Much of the yeast “eats up” the carbs in the grapes, leaving the wine with a minimal carb content. This fermentation produces alcohol. In general, a dry wine has little residual sugar (or carbs), whereas a sweet wine can have quite a bit.

While the carb content will vary somewhat when it comes to specific wines, on average, 4 oz of a dry white and dry red wine has ~ 1-2 grams of carbs, whereas 4 oz of a sweet dessert wine, sweet sherry or port will have 8-12 grams. Most distilled spirits such as vodka, gin, tequilla, etc. have negligible amounts of carbs. The carb content will be increased with mixers such as sour mix, regular soda, etc.

Of course, as I had mentioned in my recent post on wine, you need to pay attention to the portion size of the wine. Many bars and restaurants double this “4 oz” size therefore the carb content as well as the calorie content may double. For most people, the calorie content of wine and other types of alcohol is more of a concern than the carb content – at least when it comes to weight control.

 Of note, not only is  most alcohol low in carbs, it can actually cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in diabetics. So therefore it is important for a diabetic to eat a little food along with the alcoholic drink. Actually, this is not a bad thing for all of us to do!