This is a question people often ask about wine calories, red or white, which has more? Let two doctors battle this one out and give us the right answer on it, once and for all. Luckily, the answer is among the lines that we have been writing here and we can feel good about been as "smart" as two doctors combined:)Here is the link for credit http://drvino.com/2007/08/06/counting-calories-with-geoff-kalish-md/
Well although I am a doctor, I’m not that kind of doctor. But I know where to turn. So I sat down with Geoff Kalish, MD who used to write a column about wine and health for the Wine Spectator.
Dr. Vino: So which is more caloric, red or white?
Dr. Kalish: Neither. The color of the wine makes no difference on the calories.
Dr. V: Aha! A red herring. So what does make one glass of wine more caloric than another?
Dr. K: Primarily, the alcohol level. A four ounce glass of wine at 12 percent alcohol has about 120 calories; the same size with a wine 14 percent alcohol has about 140-160 calories; a 16 percent alcohol wine, about 160-190 calories.
Dr. V: Holy Turley, Batman! What about residual sugar in a wine? Does that make a difference in the calories?
Dr. K: Not as much as alcohol.
Dr. V: What about moscato d’Asti at 5.5% alcohol and lots of sugar?
Dr. K: Sugar provides many less calories per gram than does alcohol (4 compared to 7). Moscato is a lower calorie wine. That, prosecco, brut zero Champagne are all low calorie wine choices. It’s zinfandel, amarone, some California chardonnays, for example, that have higher calories because of the alcohol level.
Dr. V: So should people watching their weight cut wine out as an easy way to reduce calories?
Dr. K: No. Research has shown a small amount of wine in a weight loss plan can actually act as an appetite suppressant, in part because of the alcohol level as well as the pectin content. However, young, tannic reds appear not to have this effect, so aim for a wine that is 11 - 12% alcohol and not overly tannic.
Dr. V: Interesting. I thought red wine was overall the “healthier” wine because of those tannins.
Dr. K: Tannins may have other health benefits but this is just in terms of acting as an appetite suppressant.
Dr. V: All right, thanks. And bottoms up with a dry chenin blanc!
1 comment:
The existence of calories in wine is a fact, but compared with other things we eat perhaps it should be a minimal consideration. A hamburger can have up to a thousand calories, and if you add bacon, it can contain almost as much fat as your body requires in a month. See Calories In Wine - What Is The Truth? for additional information.
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