There's a myth out there that sweet wines have a higher calorie count compared to dry wines. The thinking is, all those extra sugars in sweet wine tack on the calories, making for a higher caloric wine. We're going to show you that this isn't always the case. Wine is made up of water, alcohol and sugar. Alcohol by weight has more calories than carbohydrates (sugar) by weight, thus alcohol has a greater impact on calorie count than sugar. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. Carbohydrates (sugar) have 4 calories per gram.To calculate the calories in wine, we simply need to look at the alcohol content and sugar content of the wine. The percentage of alcohol is always clearly labeled on wine bottles and typically ranges from 12-15%. Sugar content ranges from 3 grams/liter in dry wines to 20-150 grams/liter in sweet wines.To show you how dry wines can have a higher calorie count, let's compare the calorie count of a dry wine, like a Bordeaux Red, to a sweet wine, like a Moscato d'Asti:A Bordeaux Red is typically 13.5% alcohol.

This means that in a glass of wine (5 ounces), there are .675 ounces of alcohol, or 19.575 grams. This equates to 137 calories from alcohol.A glass of Bordeaux Red will have about .444 grams of sugar (at the most). This equates to just 2 calories from sugar.A glass of Bordeaux Red will have a total of 139 calories.A Moscato d'Asti is typically just 5.5% alcohol. This means that in a glass of wine (5 ounces), there are .275 ounces of alcohol, or 7.975 grams. This equates to 56 calories from alcohol.A glass of Moscato d'Asti will have about 16.28 grams of sugar. This equates to 65 calories from sugar.A glass of Moscato d'Asti will have a total of 121 calories.This is an extreme example. Not all sweet wines have as little alcohol content as a Moscato d'Asti. But this example does show how much more impact alcohol content can have on calorie count than sugar.The ultimate calorie bomb is a glass of Port. Alcohol content is usually 19-22% with over 100 grams/liter of sugar content, loading the wine with a ton of calories from both alcohol and sugar.

If you're looking for low calorie wines, try dry wines that are low in alcohol, like an Alsace Riesling or Beaujolais Red. While this strategy keeps in mind calories from both alcohol and sugar, always keep in mind that alcohol content has a higher impact on calorie count than sugar.Washington State University ADCAPS. Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://adcaps.wsu.edu/alcohol101/alcohol-nutrition-healthy-eatingSweet red wines are often sought after as either an introduction to wine or as a "transitionary wine" from white to red wines. Though red wines that are firmly planted in the sweet category are considerably harder to find than sweet white wines, they are available. In the wine world, sweet is the opposite of dry. The majority of the world's red wines are made in a dry style, meaning that they have lower levels of residual sugar (RS) and often a higher tannin content which adds considerably to the dry perception. When it comes to sweet wines in general, it is easy to confuse sweet with "fruity."

While a wine's sweetness is perceived by the taste buds on the tip of the tongue, a wine's fruitiness is largely an aromatic perception. food and wine best restaurants dcKeep in mind, you can physically only taste four sensations: sweet, sour, salty and bitter, yet you can smell thousands of scents, so a wine's fruitiness is the result of the combined efforts of taste and aroma. best wine vintages in australiaTannins will also tame fruit  if a wine is overly tannic it will bind the fruit on the palate and mask aromas and perceptions of fruit.best french wine to buy in parisWines can be loosely categorized as sweet, off-dry (semi-sweet) or dry. It is typically the amount of residual sugar in a wine that will determine a wine's level of sweetness.

Remember, that the process of fermentation takes the naturally occurring sugars in the grape and converts them into alcohol through the use of yeast. With this in mind, a key wine label indicator that can often serve to give you clues to the residual sugar content is the alcohol level. In table wines, the lower the alcohol level, the higher the residual sugar content and the sweeter the wine (in most cases). That's one reason that you'll often see German Rieslings with alcohol levels in the range of the 8-12%, with considerably higher levels of residual sugar. The most famous sweet red wines fall into the distinctly dessert wine category, where the fortified wine was known and loved as Port will do its best to fill a sweet tooth's expectations. Germany's Dornfelder grape is often made in a lighter-styled, slightly sweet version and while not overly exported, it can certainly be found in U.S. markets and is worth a try if you are searching for a sweeter-styled red wine. Italy's Lambrusco is a slightly sweet, slightly sparkling inexpensive red wine that was wooed wine lovers the world over for years.

It is intended to be consumed young and is readily available in most markets. In Australia, sweet red wines are appropriately dubbed, "stickies" and have a range of grapes and producers that build into their success stories.Again, most sweet red wines will fall under the "dessert wine" designation. Below are some top notch red dessert wines that will rock your red wine world.Banfi's Rosa Regale - This bright red wine from Italy's well-loved Piedmont region has a devoted following. It is a red sparkling wine that is sweet and subtle with the lush flavors of ripe raspberry and juicy strawberry. Consider giving this wine a run with chocolate-based desserts, fresh fruit and pecan pie. Souverain Dessert Syrah Alexander Valley - A unique, sweet red wine offering from Sonoma's Souverain winery, this dessert red will knock your socks off. With residual sugar in the 10% range and the dark berry flavors of blackberry and black cherry along with thick layers of spice, make this wine an extraordinary sweet red wine find!

Rosenblum Cellars Late Harvest Zinfandel - Zinfandel tends to put more fruit forward as it is, but when combined with the concentrated sugars of the late harvest, this Rosenbloom wine throws some serious sweet to the palate. Expect some rich toffee character combined with dark cherry, raspberry and a touch of fig all under the veil of sweet spice. Inniskillin Winery Cabernet Franc - Inniskillin is Canada's premier ice wine producer. As such they have devoted themselves to making ice wine out of Cabernet Franc - to say that it showcases sweet red berry fruit, mainly strawberry and raspberry would be a severe understatement. It is a virtual explosion of concentrated fruit carried out with an elegance that is unsurpassed. The next time you find yourself searching for a sweet red wine, remember a key label clue is the alcohol content. For sweet red wines, it's one of two extremes - a high alcohol content as found in the most famous sweet red wine, Port, or lower alcohol levels than a typical red table wine, generally in the 8-11% range indicating that the fermentation process was stopped before all of the grape's natural sugars were converted to alcohol.