ask the wine geek

Ask the Wine Geek November 2009

Q. With the holiday season coming up, there's a question I just have to ask, even though I'm not sure I want to hear the answer: Is wine fattening?

A. The good news first: Wine doesn't contain any fat-hooray! But I have to level with you. It does pack a few calories.

Although the count varies, figure that a 5-ounce serving of your average dry white or red wine will contain somewhere between 100 and 110 calories. As alcohol and sugar content climb, so too rises the calorie load. Sweet dessert wines and fortified wines such as Port-both holiday favorites, wouldn't you know-can sometimes add almost double the calories to your glass.