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Health Q&A: How Much Sugar is in Wine?

Posted: Thursday, November 15, 2007

Q: Help a diabetic: How can I determine the amount of sugar in wines? --Cat

A: There are no regulations in the United States regarding labeling the sugar content of wines, so for exact information about the nutritional content of your wine, you should check with the winery. In general, most red wines have little or no sugar; most sweet wines are white. Key terms on the wine label can tip you off as to whether a wine will be sweet or not. Terms like "dry" indicate a wine with less sugar, while "semi-dry" or "off-dry" wines should be sweeter than table wines.

The European Union has determined their own standards for sweetness levels: Up to 4 grams of sugar per liter can be labeled "dry' or "sec"; wines with sugar levels between 4 and 12 g/L are called "medium dry" or "demi-sec"; wines with sugar levels between 12 and 45 g/L are "medium" or "moelleux"; those with more than 45 g/L are "sweet" or "doux." Producers, however, are not required to put these terms on the labels of still wine.

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