As South Africans, we cannot pass up a good glass of wine. Especially in summer, after a long work week. But what does having fun at happy hour mean for our waists? We’ve partnered up with CyberCellar to decipher the calorie and carb count of our favourite sips to see which ones fit best into our New Year’s resolution healthy living plan.
By Jana du Plessis
Camp white or red?
Have you also always believed that white wines are generally higher in calories than reds? Turns out, it depends on the varietal. While Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Black contain similar amounts of calories, 120 and 123 respectively, the carb count in a Sauvignon is 3 grams to Chenin’s 4.9 grams per glass. Chardonnay seems to be the overall your ‘lightest’ wine in terms of a great option when trying to lose weight. It only contains 84 calories and a modest carbohydrate count of 3.28 grams.
The in-betweener
If you’re not quite into your white wines and find reds a bit too dry, your go-to is probably a rosé or a sparkling wine. Wondering how they tip the scale? The pink-hued rosy goodness is surprisingly low in calories and carbs: Match the 83 calories and 2.9 grams carbs with bubbly’s 90 calories and only 1 gram carbohydrates and we may just have a smashing match for drinking without derailing your healthy eating habits!
Seeing red
If white wines are too acidic for your palette or the sweeter wine options are reserved for special occasions, you will be happy to know that red wine can still be enjoyed despite your quest for living a more wholesome life in 2017. A Cabernet Sauvignon will set you back with 126 calories and 3.82 carbs, while Shiraz doesn’t fare too badly with 122 calories and 3.79 grams of carbs. But the winner is Merlot with a mere 83 calories and 3.7 grams of carbs. Bonus, we heard that the antioxidants in red wine will actually benefit your health. #winning!
The alternative
Even if wine doesn’t tickle you fancy, there are plenty of other healthy options like gin, whiskey and beer. The key is to keep the mixes simple and sugar-free – go for soda water instead of tonic and a squeeze of lemon or lime, plus mint. Gin’s calories clock in at 263, but is nearly completely carb-free! As such, whiskys’ calories are 250 and the carb count 0.1 – great for a summer sunset and a glass on the rocks. For beer though, the carbs rack up to 13 grams, but the calories are only 153. We say, life’s too short to not enjoy a drink every now and then!
Check out this fun calorie and carb count infographic below:
