Most people have a general idea how many calories they consume when it comes to food groups, although it is quite common to forget that when drinking wine that we are still consuming calories. So how many calories are in wine?

The answer depends on your wine choice - though most wines come in around the 100 calorie mark per glass. Assuming you are using the appropriate serving in the correctly shaped wine glass. There are fewer calories in wine than most other alcoholic beverages. Sauvignon Blanc can come in at 80 calories per serving. Chablis is a mild 85 calories, Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet all round out at 90 calories per glass. With just 5 additional calories you can sip Red Burgundy, Red Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Merlot, Rhone, or Rose and dry Champagne comes is in at approx 105 calories. Other wines weigh in much heavier in the calories - Muscatel and Madeira come in at 160, Tokay sneaks up to 165 while White Port hits 170 and Ruby Port tops the list at 185.

While a single glass may only add about 100 calories to an evening, those who drink wine regularly tend to do so with a certain amount of vigour, consuming between 3 and 5 glasses in an evening. It's not just about the calories in wine when trying to maintain a low calorie lifestyle and still participate at social events. Some calories are easier to burn while others are easier to store. Wine comes from fruit which is a form of sugar. The sugar in wine, even dry wines, makes calories harder to burn off. Sugar that comes from fruit is a natural and healthy energy, although once the fruit has been fermented, the sugar content changes and becomes more fructose-like than its original form. The calories in alcohol are metabolised first by the body, ahead of burning fat - which is not desirable if on a diet.

Now, keeping in mind that an average gin and tonic is around 280 calories and that most frozen alcoholic drinks can average 800 calories or above, needless to say red or white wine is certainly a low calorie choice given the options.