Learn more about which wines have the fewest calories this week. (Photo by Ken Ross)

Tis the season to make a fresh start.

And for many people, that means cutting back a bit on many things, including food, alcohol or spending.

That’s why I thought I would kick off the new year with a wine column devoted to low-calorie wines.

And if you’re taking a break from alcohol altogether this month, you can read all about no-alcohol wines next week.

So hopefully, these suggested wines this week and next week will come in handy for anyone turning over a new leaf.

Then it’s back to the grindstone and recommending more great wines the rest of the year.

Hope you enjoy.

HOW MANY GLASSES OF WINE IN A BOTTLE?

First, let’s get a few numbers out of the way.

A standard bottle of wine contains 750 milliliters or roughly 25 ounces of wine.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one bottle of wine contains five glasses of wine.

However, many people, including myself, still believe that a bottle of wine contains four glasses of wine, which works out to 6.25 ounces per glass.

So below, you can find information about how many calories are in a 5-ounce glass and 6.25-ounce glass.

WHICH WINES HAVE THE FEWEST CALORIES?

In most cases, most wines contain roughly 570 to 650 calories per bottle, according to the USDA. The difference between 570 and 650 might not seem like a lot. But when most people only consume 2,000 to 2,700 calories per day, two glasses of wine can add up fast over the course of a meal.

So how many calories do different wines have in each glass? The USDA has information about the number of calories found in a 5-ounce glass of most wines. You can find those numbers below, along with the number of calories for the same wines for a 6.25-ounce glass.

There’s also another wine, Muller Thurgau, that weighs in at 113 calories, but this white wine grown primarily in Germany and Austria isn’t easily available in many American wine stores.

Fortunately, you should have no problem finding gamay wines. Some of the most popular red wines made with gamay grapes can be found in France’s Beaujolais region. This includes Beaujolais Nouveau, the red wine made with gamay grapes fermented for just a few weeks.

Two of my favorite white wines near the top of the list of low-calorie wines: Gewurztraminer (there are many great, affordable ones from the Alsace region of France) and Chenin Blanc (the grape used to make many great, dry white wines from the Vouvray region of France).

The next two wines on the list – sauvignon blanc and riesling – are also some of my favorite white wines. You can find some great, affordable sauvignon blancs from New Zealand. As for riesling, you can find delightful ones throughout the world, including ones made in Germany’s Mosel region, France’s Alsace region and Canada’s Niagara region.

Let me add that most winemakers don’t list how many calories are in each bottle of wine. Why? I suspect it’s because they know that most people don’t want to count calories while they’re drinking their favorite wine.

Wine’s more than just something you have with dinner. It’s a beautiful expression of a particular region’s soul, its character, its rich, dark, soil.

So just because some wines have fewer calories, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice anything to find great, distinct, delicious ones.

Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.