Wine Carbohydrates

Everyone knows about carbs in food, but what about wine carbohydrates?

What Is a Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are confusing. You've got your "good" carbs, your "bad" carbs, simple carbs and complex carbs. It's not very easy to keep track of which ones you're consuming. Keep reading to find a quick breakdown of the basic carbohydrates found in food and drink, but first, a simple explanation as to what exactly a carbohydrate is.

Carbs Defined

Even though you may have heard in the past that carbs are evil and should be avoided at all costs, carbohydrates are actually a very necessary part to any healthy diet because they are a major source of your body's energy. Other facts about carbohydrates are as follows:

• Found mainly in sugars, starches and fiber
• Each carbohydrate contains about four calories
• When consumed, the body converts carbs into glucose for energy
• There are two main classes of carbohydrates: simple and complex

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbs get a bad rap as so-called "bad carbs", while this may be true for most foods containing simple carbs, it isn't true for all. Many fruits, for instance, contain simple carbohydrates. Here are some familiar names for simple carbs:

• Sucrose
• Galactose
• Fructose

When consumed, the body converts these simple carbs into energy. If the energy isn't used, the body stores it for later use as fat.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbs are mainly foods high in starches and fiber. Many fruits and vegetables contain complex carbs. The reason why complex carbs are better then simple carbs is because the body takes longer to break them down to be used for energy, therefore you burn more calories. Since you're using more energy when you burn more calories, there is less sugar leftover to be stored as fat in your body.

Just as with simple carbohydrates, if you consume an excess amount of complex carbs, unless you burn them off through activity, your body stores the unused carbs as fat.

Wine Carbohydrates

Phew! Now that the nutrition lesson is over for the day, on to wine carbohydrates.

Red Wine Carbohydrates

Red wine contains between .75 and .90 grams of carbohydrates per one ounce serving. Since nobody drinks just one ounce of wine, a standard pour, about four to six ounces (depending on how generous or heavy handed the bartender is) contains three to four carbohydrates per glass.

So, whenever you're drinking a glass of red, just round the number of carbs up to one, multiply it by the number of ounces you're drinking and you will have your carb count.

White Wine Carbohydrates

The average amount of carbs in white wine is lower than that of red wine, at about .6 grams. So, a four to six ounce glass of white contains around 2.4 to 3.6 grams of carbohydrates.

Finally, all sweet white wines like your late harvest's and dessert wines contain 1.5 to about 5 grams of carbohydrates per one ounce serving. Just remember, the sweeter it is, the higher the carb content and generally, the higher the calorie count.

Low Carb Craze

With various beers touting low carbs for years, the wine industry had slowly begun catching on, but is it really that necessary? The carbohydrate content in beer varies so greatly, that it does make a difference as to what brand and type you drink. With wine, the variance is so little; but wineries, like the Brown-Forman have had "low carb" wines on the market for years. The reviews are mixed on these so-called low carb wines from people loving it to people hating it saying that they are flavorless and their aromas are non-existent. So if you want to try a bottle, do so at your own risk.

Don't give in to the low carb craze, drink the wine you love in moderation and you will never have to compromise on quality for the sake of shaving a few carbs from your diet.

• Interesting Facts About Wine
• How to Throw a Wine Tasting Party
• Facts About Grapes
• Definitions Of Wine Types
• Is Red Wine Good For You

• Dry Red Wine Types
• Red Wine Calories
• Wine Calories
• Wine Serving Temperatures
• Best Red Wine Under $15

• California Wine Country Trips
• Basic Wine Knowledge
• Category:Wine Articles
• Calories in White Wine
• Free Wine Information