For Jewish families living with Type 1 diabetes
Carb counting

Find the carbs in your wine

A reference list of wines we’ve measured — and a calculator for working out the carbs in any wine that isn’t on it yet.

The figures on this page are a practical guide to help you choose a wine and plan ahead. They are estimates — carbohydrate content varies naturally between bottles and vintages — and are not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare team for insulin and dosing decisions.

The wine list

Carbohydrate grams per ½ cup (4 oz) serving. Search for your wine below — and if it isn’t listed, the calculator further down can work it out. Tap a column heading to sort.

Wine Brix Carbs per ½ cup Alcohol
Burgundy0012%
Cabernet Sauvignon0013%
Chablis0012%
Chardonnay0013%
Le Blanc De Blanc00
Merlot0013.5%
Sauvignon Blanc0–0.2013.5%
SR Cab. Sauv. Alex Valley0–0.20
SR Cab. Sauv. Ltd '01-NM(6)0–0.20
Syrah0–0.2013.5%
Zin Gris0–0.20
Zinfandel Red0014.5%
Kedem Cab Sauvignon1113%
Kedem Classic Red0.9112%
Sauterne1112%
Chenin Blanc2212.5%
Sherry22
Rose Of Cabernet2–2.5313.5%
White Zinfandel2–3.5310.5%
Mellow Red4.769%
Blush Chablis5–6.578%
Eminent Dry5.977%
Harmony SDR5.87
144 Blanc6.9–8.599%
Black Muscat7–8911.5%
144 Rouge8–9.5119%
Royal Blush8–9.511
Kesser 7709.8129%
Blush Concord11.2137%
Late Harvest White Riesling10.25–12139%
Matuk Rouge Soft10.5–11.5137.5%
Muscatini Red10–12135.5%
Concord Natural10.5–121412%
Cream Niagara11–12.5149%
Cream Pink11–12.214
Cream Rose11–13149%
Cream White121412%
Gold11–1214
Late Harvest Chenin Blanc10.7–12149%
Niagara Kesser12.1159%
Plum Royale11.1–13.51512%
Tokay11.5–13.41512%
Concord Kal11–15.5163.5%
Cream Red12–14169%
Melody NSR13.216
Cream Malaga13.3–15177%
Matuk Kal12.6–15.5174.5%
Kesser Concord Wine13.9–15.5188%
Carmel S Wine17.821
Concord Wine17.82112%
Carmel Co-11-19.223

Wine not on the list? Calculate it

If your wine isn’t listed — or you want to check your own bottle, since sugar content varies from year to year — you can measure it yourself in a minute.

How to measure

  1. You’ll need a Brix refractometer — a small tool that measures the sugar content of a liquid. It is available online for around $20.
  2. Shake the bottle well before taking a sample. Wine’s sugar can settle, so a good shake makes sure your reading is accurate.
  3. Place a few drops on the refractometer and read off the Brix value.
  4. Enter that Brix value and the wine’s alcohol percentage (printed on the label) below. The calculator adjusts for the alcohol and gives you the carbs.

Enter both values to see the carb counts.

Read more on our blog

Two posts on our blog — the FWD Daily & Weekly Loop — go deeper into this topic: how to measure homemade must, and how wine and grape juice each affect blood sugar. They’re for blog members, so signing in — or signing up, if you’re new — opens the full post.

Not a member yet? Sign up to the FWD Daily & Weekly Loop — our blog of daily, real-life diabetes insights.

Help us grow this list

Measured a wine that isn’t here? Send us the details. Once we’ve checked them, we’ll add the wine so others can benefit too.

Clicking “Submit” opens your email app with the details ready to send to [email protected]. Just press send.