Drink Wisely: How to Count (and Cut) Your Liquid Calories

By Laura Cunniffe
Drink Wisely: How to Count (and Cut) Your Liquid Calories

Liquid calories are the most overlooked part of most people's diets. A standard 175ml glass of wine contains around 130–160 calories — more than a digestive biscuit or a small bar of chocolate. Drink four glasses over a week and you've consumed the calorie equivalent of a full extra meal before you've considered what you ate.

Where liquid calories come from

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram — nearly as many as fat (9 kcal/g) and almost double the calorie density of carbohydrates or protein (both 4 kcal/g). In wine, alcohol is the dominant calorie driver. Residual sugar adds 4 kcal per gram on top of that. A standard supermarket wine at 13.5% ABV with 3–5g of sugar per glass will typically contain 100–120 kcal per 125ml.

The problem is that these calories are invisible. UK law doesn't require wine, beer, or spirits to display calorie or nutritional information on the label.

The simple swap that makes the biggest difference

Switching from standard supermarket wine to a low calorie zero-sugar alternative is the single highest-impact change most regular wine drinkers can make. The saving per glass is 20–40 kcal. Over a year, 4,000–10,000 kcal — the equivalent of cutting out a significant amount of food without changing anything about your lifestyle. DrinkWell wines start from 76 kcal per 125ml glass — all full-strength, all zero sugar, with complete nutritional information on every product page.

DrinkWell wines — full calorie data on every page

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