When it comes to light tasting, refreshing alcoholic beverages none does the job better of quenching your thirst than a white wine spritzer. It’s a simple drink to make and was one of the most requested by women when I bartended about two decades ago. You take a white wine glass and fill it with ice. You can crush the ice if requested but it’s not recommended. Pour in half a glass of white wine and top it with soda water. Throw in a twist of lemon peel for garnish and you’re done. I’ve seen attempts at a white wine spritzer recipe with various fruits added to sweeten it up, but the main ingredients haven’t changed much over the last 20 years.
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for its popularity among women is the fact that it is low in calories while still having sufficient taste and flavor from the white wine and lemon. Considering an average 8oz wine glass with a standard 5oz pour, there are about 150 calories in a glass of white wine; and since soda water contains 0 calories as it is merely carbonated water, you can ascertain that a white wine spritzer has about 75-80 calories per glass. Unless you are eating the lemon peel garnish, you can discount the calories in that, too. Otherwise, add a tenth of a calorie.
Now, keep in mind that these calories are considered “discretionary”, as prescribed by the USDA. This means they are non-essential to maintaining your body’s functionality. Discretionary calories should be kept to a minimum, not to exceed 300 in a day, especially for non-active people.
As for the types of white wine used in spritzers, it’s up to your bartender. I always used a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. The drier the wine the less sugar in it, so you can count on the 75-80 calorie rule to hold true. The calories in a Merlot red wine, which is typically fermented to dryness, is around 125. That’s with about 1g of sugar. Sweeter wines, like Riesling or even a Moscato, would raise the sugar content and thus increase the caloric intake.
Some folks would opt for just a half of glass of wine thinking it has less calories, but the calories in a white wine spritzer is the same as that half a glass and is far tastier and more refreshing. Again, there are no calories is soda water, so your only caloric intake is from the half a glass of wine that goes into it.
Now that differs if you go for one of the fruitier versions of the spritzer. Adding fruit or syrup to sweeten it up can add on 20 calories or more, resulting in the calorie count of a cola. That’s if you’re getting only one serving of syrup in your drink. There’s really no way to efficiently measure this, from a bartender’s standpoint.
So the next time you’re out and you want a low calorie, refreshing alcoholic beverage, try a white wine spritzer.
Other Calories in Wine
| Wine Type | Calories (cal) | Total Fats (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) | Per |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine, fortified: Port, Muscatel (18% Alc.) | 1,118 | 0 | 97.5 g | 1.5 g | 750 ml |
| Wine, fortified: Sherry, Cream (18% Alc.) | 1065 | 0 | 86.2 g | 1.5 g | 750 ml |
| Wine, fortified: Sherry, Dry (18% Alc.) | 780 | 0 | 7.5 | 0 | 750 ml |
| Wine, fortified: Sherry, Sweet (18% Alc.) | 1065 | 0 | 86.2 | 1.5 | 750 ml |
| Wine, fortified: Vermouth (18% Alc.) | 825 | 0 | 18.8 | 1.5 | 750 ml |
| Wine: Champagne, average | 531 | 0 | 12.5 | 0 | 750 ml |
| Wine: Cooler (3.4% Alc.) | 520 | 0 | 80 | 1 | 750 ml |
| Wine: Red | 500 | 0 | 4.7 | 0 | 750 ml |
| Wine: Rose, medium | 500 | 0 | 4.7 | 0 | 750 ml |
| Wine: Sake Rice Wine (16% Alc.) | 412 | 0 | 9.4 | 0.8 | 750 ml |
| Wine: Table, average (12% Alc.) | 562 | 0 | 7.5 | 0 | 750 ml |
| Wine: White, dry | 506 | 0 | 6.2 | 0 | 750 ml |