The hidden sugar in your glass of wine

IT’S not just mince pies that those watching their waistlines need to worry about this Christmas – your choice of wine could have a big impact too.

A lab test of 22 popular supermarket wines has revealed the worst offenders for sugar and calories.

Two rosé wines had more than the daily recommended sugar intake in one bottle. The brand with the highest sugar content was Barefoot Pink Moscato, at almost 50g per bottle – twice the recommended amount for women and the equivalent of four tablespoons of table sugar.

Gallo Family Summer Rose followed closely behind with more than 7g per 125ml glass and nearly 43g per bottle.

White wine sugar content was significantly lower. Gallo Family Vineyards Chardonnay performed the worst, with 1.5g of sugar per glass and 9g per bottle. For those looking to reduce sugar intake, Jacob’s Creek Classic Pinot Grigio could be a good choice, with less than one gram per bottle. The red wine with the most sugar was Yellow Tail Jammy Red Roo, with 28.5g per bottle – double that in a family-sized chocolate bar.

The only calories in wine should be from residual sugar – natural sugars leftover after fermentation – and the alcohol, which has its own calorie content, according to low-calorie alcohol retailer DrinkWell, which conducted the test. But it found additives used in wine-making can increase carbohydrates and calorie content by up to 25 per cent.

DrinkWell founder Tom Bell said: ‘What our research uncovers is that these old school methods are out of date and misinformed when we consider the level of additives that go into mass produced wines. It’s time for these manufacturers to tell consumers what’s in the wine.’