I honestly can't understand why alcohol isn't required to have ingredients and nutritional information disclosed on the packaging. Every other food and drink that is widely available, is labeled. Even water.
601
In some cases, the consumable alcohol industry has enough power that it doesn't want it's ingredients list to be public. Also the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) doesn't want to portray alcoholic drinks as a form of food so nutritional information is not allowed.
102
Unless a person has an addiction I see no point in worrying. Some little sugar works with the yeast to come to an accepted alcohol level in wine, but it is not an absolute. I say drink up your glass or two and worry not, just be merry.
194
I say, GO ANNIE! Of course! We are just too hung up as a people....
82
In Europe all kinds of rumours are heard about the wine from the greatest country in the history of the planet. The article of the NYTimes makes clear that there is sugar even in red wine. Now how about that other hairraising rumour that American wines are pasteurized??
40
This article is not entirely accurate and should have been written by your wine writer Eric Asimov. Or at least he should have been consulted on it
159
The real question, and story here, is why do alcohol beverage producers - from wine and beer to whisky - get a pass on listing their ingredients that no other food manufacturers does.
I know exactly what is in my morning cereal but I'll never learn the true ingredients on my glass of red wine or scotch. When I became vegan I was amazed to learn that many beers and wines use animal products in their production. Yes, I'm sure everyone is wondering why? California wineries - with the exception of a handful - refuse to list the ingredients. Why is that? Could it be because the my up the colour and flavour with chemicals? Who knows? They don't have to tell. Same goes for whisky and beer.
If I ran, say, Kraft food, I'd be taking this to court. It's simply not fair that one food product has to list everything - and break it down by calorie and sugar and protein content - while another doesn't.
I know exactly what is in my morning cereal but I'll never learn the true ingredients on my glass of red wine or scotch. When I became vegan I was amazed to learn that many beers and wines use animal products in their production. Yes, I'm sure everyone is wondering why? California wineries - with the exception of a handful - refuse to list the ingredients. Why is that? Could it be because the my up the colour and flavour with chemicals? Who knows? They don't have to tell. Same goes for whisky and beer.
If I ran, say, Kraft food, I'd be taking this to court. It's simply not fair that one food product has to list everything - and break it down by calorie and sugar and protein content - while another doesn't.
309
Question: How much sugar in the alcohol in the wine that could affect the growth of a previous cancerous situation???
Sure hated to give up the adult beverages after the bout with prostate cancer! And it has not been easy.
JT
Sure hated to give up the adult beverages after the bout with prostate cancer! And it has not been easy.
JT
31
How Much Sugar Is a Glass of Wine? How much sugar in a slice of Brie Cheese?
As east coast democrats ponder such weighty issues I will leave later today to pay a yearly Memorial Day visit to my uncle's "grave". I am proud to be his namesake and have endeavored to honor his sacrifice through my own personal life sacrifices. While fighting in Italy my family was informed by telegram that his status was MIA (Missing in Action). Several days hence he was declared KIA, Killed In Action. After reading the declaration, my Grandfather promptly died of a heart attack...a tragic double funeral!
So as I prepare for my trip, reading the whining remarks of Angela Merkel complaining that Germany can no longer depend on the USA to fully defend them from themselves, I smile a knowing smile. I live in the greatest country in the history of the planet. My family has personally contributed to that glorious reality.
Thomas S. Werbie MD
As east coast democrats ponder such weighty issues I will leave later today to pay a yearly Memorial Day visit to my uncle's "grave". I am proud to be his namesake and have endeavored to honor his sacrifice through my own personal life sacrifices. While fighting in Italy my family was informed by telegram that his status was MIA (Missing in Action). Several days hence he was declared KIA, Killed In Action. After reading the declaration, my Grandfather promptly died of a heart attack...a tragic double funeral!
So as I prepare for my trip, reading the whining remarks of Angela Merkel complaining that Germany can no longer depend on the USA to fully defend them from themselves, I smile a knowing smile. I live in the greatest country in the history of the planet. My family has personally contributed to that glorious reality.
Thomas S. Werbie MD
31
"As east coast democrats ponder such weighty issues..." - Thomas S. Werbie MD
Why is this off-topic, rambling comment printed under this headline? I thought that NYT comments were edited before publication.
Why is this off-topic, rambling comment printed under this headline? I thought that NYT comments were edited before publication.
417
Because Memorial Day, no doubt.
7
Thomas, your war rant reminds me of Walter, the John Goodman character in The Big Lebowski. Watch it. You'll see what I mean.
104
"The addition of sulfites, used as a preservative, must be listed on the label in order to notify individuals who might be allergic..."
While some winemakers do add sulfites, they also occur naturally in the winemaking process, so they're usually present in wines anyway.
While some winemakers do add sulfites, they also occur naturally in the winemaking process, so they're usually present in wines anyway.
63
Unless you are a diabetic or are drinking dessert wine by the bottle, if you are that concerned about the sugar content of the wine you are drinking, maybe you should just cut out the wine altogether.
Is this article a sign that we have reached peak sugar hysteria? Will we now start seeing a series of studies that sugar is actually good for us? Or is it just an indication of rampant orthorexia among NYT readers?
Is this article a sign that we have reached peak sugar hysteria? Will we now start seeing a series of studies that sugar is actually good for us? Or is it just an indication of rampant orthorexia among NYT readers?
76
I am diabetic and actually asked myself exactly this question a few moments before I sat down at my computer with a glass of wine and saw this article. I was disappointed the article didnt say how many carbs per glass of wine, so had to follow this up with a google search. I dont think we have come anywhere near the end of the sugar hysteria... that is like saying we have reached climate change hysteria.
87
I was eating a small dessert every day, app. 300 calories and constantly doing the yo yo diet, ie gain 1-3 lbs, stop and then start the dessert again.
I substituted two 6 ounce glass of red wine (CS), app. the same calorie count a nite and no such problems.
My sugar is normal and my good chol. shot up 25%.
Case closed.
I substituted two 6 ounce glass of red wine (CS), app. the same calorie count a nite and no such problems.
My sugar is normal and my good chol. shot up 25%.
Case closed.
80
Hard to believe that a single glass of red wine accounted for a 25% increase in HDL. There almost certainly had to be other factors...otherwise, your minor dietary alteration would be a godsend for millions.
28
It's two glasses a nite Peter and I am bad at math...the HDL, went from 36 to 44 which is about 22%. My HDl was borderline and I asked the doctor how to bring it up and he told me drink red wine and it did the trick...I did nothing else.
53
Paul - To reinforce your choice, you might wish to review "Association of alcohol consumption with selected cardiovascular disease outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis," from the British Medical Journal, available at:
http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/342/bmj.d671.full.pdf. Tough to argue with 84 different datasets...
A "relative risk" of 0.75 means a 25% reduced chance of dying by whatever age.
http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/342/bmj.d671.full.pdf. Tough to argue with 84 different datasets...
A "relative risk" of 0.75 means a 25% reduced chance of dying by whatever age.
14
Alcohol is not converted into sugar. Alcohol is converted to a number of intermediate substances (none of which is sugar), until it is eventually broken down to carbon dioxide and water.
51
No problem. I almost never drink any American wines.
Of course, I'm lucky. I only drink rosé, which is always pretty cheap.
A very nice Portuguese rosados and Italian rosatos are available where I live.
Although recently I did finally find and try a decent Californian rosé. I'd like to be patriotic and drink locally at least once in a while.
Of course, I'm lucky. I only drink rosé, which is always pretty cheap.
A very nice Portuguese rosados and Italian rosatos are available where I live.
Although recently I did finally find and try a decent Californian rosé. I'd like to be patriotic and drink locally at least once in a while.
12
Fascinating...
33
Any suggestions on brands, please?
8
Oh beware absolutes SRP/Jeff Morgan...Yellow Tails and their ilk indeed have massive amounts of sugar - 2g in 6oz ShirazCab, 2gr in 6oz CabMerlot, 1gr in 6oz Reserve Chardonnay etc. etc. Brix levels are required submissions by agents when submitting a wine for sale in provincal stores and AMEN yes Willian Liess comment; by law, maybe since 1999, Ontario's LCBO requries brix to be declared, pl (per litre) on EVERY store shelf for EVERY wine so customers can clearly see and compare sugar content.
25
Re "absolutes":
Even if Yellow Tail indeed has 1 or 2 grams of residual sugar per glass, an 8-ounce glass of grape juice has over 30 grams of sugar. These are the absolute numbers. 1 or 2 versus 30. Sorry.
Even if Yellow Tail indeed has 1 or 2 grams of residual sugar per glass, an 8-ounce glass of grape juice has over 30 grams of sugar. These are the absolute numbers. 1 or 2 versus 30. Sorry.
24
Am perfectly happy drinking a $13.00 bottle of wine and spending up to $36 for a special-occasion bottle. Sugar? For those of us who fortunately, as yet, do not have diabetes or other condition requiring us to monitor sugar very closely, it doesn't matter.
Wine-making is interesting. A good glass of wine is lovely.
Wine-making is interesting. A good glass of wine is lovely.
64
Interesting to know that California does not allow added sugar, but grape juice or "more than 60 different additives" can be added but not disclosed to the public. For a state that takes pride in consumer protections and regulations this local industry doesn't seem to be held to similar standards.
39
This lack of regulations hurts the California wine industry. I prefer French wines, as the strict laws in France allow a consumer to be sure as to what he is buying and drinking!
61
Please be mindful that that information is highly misleading. What do those additives constitute, for instance? I am an oenologist and alcoholic beverage technologist and I can tell you as a matter of fact that most additives are actually used in order to *remove* impurities from wine rather than to go in the final product. The only things typically meant to end up in your wine are grape juice concentrate and/or sugar (depending on the local regulations, this may be permissible or not, and limits are specified as well), tartaric acid (which is the natural acid found in wine and, again, is only permissible in some regions but not in others, this time with *very* specific limits), tanins (also found in wine, to stabilize colour), sulfates or such preservatives as vitamic C (as antioxidants and antimicrobial agents) etc.
Also, the article makes a very non-specific statement about those additives. It doesn't say this is also true in California, which is referred to afterwards, so this could also be a very misleading statement.
Also, the article makes a very non-specific statement about those additives. It doesn't say this is also true in California, which is referred to afterwards, so this could also be a very misleading statement.
78
So true. The wine lobby must be strong indeed. They should list EVERYTHING
22
What are the 60 different additives that can be put in wine? If consumers were allowed to see them, wine drinking would plummet.
17
Part of the reason why these are not always disclosed is because the public has a very... subpar understanding of the whole situation. Simply put, what would your reaction be if I told you it's fairly normal to put cyanide in white wine?
Your reaction would, of course, be to flip out on this info. And it's true!
However, what is that cyanide as an additive? That's the key question! An additive does not necessarily end up in your final product, you see. Here's what happens: inadvertently, grape must can be loaded with iron for a number of reasons, including soil consistency, obviously. This happens a lot in regions with soils rich in iron. Problem is, wine naturally produces a nasty sediment (two, actually; depending on the valence of iron, it will be either black or white) if excess iron ends up in it. At first, it won't, so the bottle will pass inspection if the wine is not processed for high iron levels. This is not an issue with low levels of iron, by the way, because it remains soluble and does not react with the rest of the wine.
What does that have to do with cyanide? Simply put, we use a special cyanide compound: potassium ferrocyanide. Iron reacts immediately with it, producing a brilliant blue pigment, ferric ferrocyanide (a.k.a. Prussian Blue), which is easy to extract. And we put less PFC than would remove all iron, so that none of it remains in excess in the wine. The wine is also tested to make sure. Long story short, it's safe, if you do your job rightly.
Your reaction would, of course, be to flip out on this info. And it's true!
However, what is that cyanide as an additive? That's the key question! An additive does not necessarily end up in your final product, you see. Here's what happens: inadvertently, grape must can be loaded with iron for a number of reasons, including soil consistency, obviously. This happens a lot in regions with soils rich in iron. Problem is, wine naturally produces a nasty sediment (two, actually; depending on the valence of iron, it will be either black or white) if excess iron ends up in it. At first, it won't, so the bottle will pass inspection if the wine is not processed for high iron levels. This is not an issue with low levels of iron, by the way, because it remains soluble and does not react with the rest of the wine.
What does that have to do with cyanide? Simply put, we use a special cyanide compound: potassium ferrocyanide. Iron reacts immediately with it, producing a brilliant blue pigment, ferric ferrocyanide (a.k.a. Prussian Blue), which is easy to extract. And we put less PFC than would remove all iron, so that none of it remains in excess in the wine. The wine is also tested to make sure. Long story short, it's safe, if you do your job rightly.
89
Perhaps us ignorant members of the public would indeed "flip out" if we saw the colorings, flavorings, preservatives, and other additives undoubtedly added to (some) wine. We want, and have a right to know what we're eating and drinking, even if it isn't flat out toxic like the ethylene glycol that Reunite added to wine back in the 80s. I suspect the real reason the ingredients are not listed is the wine industry is protecting members that can't make a decent bottle because they know we would buy those without additives. And BTW, according to current labeling regulations for other liquids, potassium ferrocyanide would't have to be on the label if it isn't in the finished product.
14
How pompous. So we are not smart enough to have the information? Sounds like you are a lobbyist for the wine makers. Since when is total disclosure , i.e.: the truth, a bad thing. Tell us what's in it and we'll decide.
21
This misleading article neglects the fact that alcohol is metabolized into sugar in our bodies.
One gram of alcohol contains 7 calories compared to one gram of sugar which contains 4 calories. A 6 ounce glass of 'unsweetened' red wine is approximately 180 calories of carbohydrate load for the liver.. excess carbs create more insulin demand, and are stored in our bodies as fat.
If one is concerned about limiting the amount of 'sugar' intake, then one might consider wine as more of a dessert food. When offered dessert I say, 'I am drinking it, no thanks'.
One gram of alcohol contains 7 calories compared to one gram of sugar which contains 4 calories. A 6 ounce glass of 'unsweetened' red wine is approximately 180 calories of carbohydrate load for the liver.. excess carbs create more insulin demand, and are stored in our bodies as fat.
If one is concerned about limiting the amount of 'sugar' intake, then one might consider wine as more of a dessert food. When offered dessert I say, 'I am drinking it, no thanks'.
22
Alcohol is NOT metabolized into sugar in the body.
What disinformation!
"Alternative" facts, I guess. From an alternative universe.
Crazy. Impossible.
What disinformation!
"Alternative" facts, I guess. From an alternative universe.
Crazy. Impossible.
61
Alcohol is not metabolized to sugar.
Ethanol is metabolized through a catabolic metabolic pathway, yielding acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and Acetyl-CoA, with each contributing some caloric energy. No "sugar" is produced in this process.
Ethanol is metabolized through a catabolic metabolic pathway, yielding acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and Acetyl-CoA, with each contributing some caloric energy. No "sugar" is produced in this process.
108
I've heard that the US government will require nutritional components on bottles of wine -- calories, protein, carbohydrates. Any truth to this? And, if so, when will it come into effect?
6
Silly article. If Times health writers are concerned about "hidden" sugars, they might worry more about spaghetti sauce, chips, baby food, prepared meals, and of course, coffee drinks from the local barista. We even breed fruits to be sweeter. A glass of wine is the least of our problems.
325
True. But did you catch the statement in the article that "more than 60 different additives can legally be used without being disclosed?"Now, THOSE ingredients I would like to know about. We need ingredient labels for alcoholic beverages. Currently, the only added ingredient now required to be listed is sulfites.
58
What's silly about it? The article isn't about "hidden" sugars per se, but about sugar content in wine, and how much may come from added sugar in various forms. It's not even particularly "hidden," as it's something that's been part of winemaking as long as wine has been made (note the ancient French term). There are plenty of articles out there about sugars in other foods. This interesting and informative one is ABOUT WINE!
55
You are so right. I was shocked to discover that even canned beans - that source of fiber we are encouraged to increase - have added sugar.
23
Jeff Morgan is correct. There is NOWHERE NEAR 1 gram of sugar in a typical glass of wine. Please correct this. Check with beverage analytical labs, please.
Humans can usually detect about 1.0 wt% sweetness in wine. In "dry" wines--most wines--you cannot detect any sweetness. Fruit flavors, yes, sugar, no.
Morgan's 0.2 grams of sugar per glass (150 ml (or grams)) of wine sounds about right. You can compare this with about 10 grams of sugar per glass of orange juice or 40 grams of sugar in a Coke.
Humans can usually detect about 1.0 wt% sweetness in wine. In "dry" wines--most wines--you cannot detect any sweetness. Fruit flavors, yes, sugar, no.
Morgan's 0.2 grams of sugar per glass (150 ml (or grams)) of wine sounds about right. You can compare this with about 10 grams of sugar per glass of orange juice or 40 grams of sugar in a Coke.
26
P.S. I am not talking about Yellowtail or stuff of that ilk, but wines you would get at a wine store. There may be a gram or two of residual sugar per glass In the very low end stuff. But you'd have to drink a couple cases of even that stuff to be equivalent to a bottle or two of soda. With all the added sugar in our foods today, I have to question the motives of anyone writing about sugar in wine...
19
Since my 1st bottle of Bordeaux in 1975,
I've been enjoying Bordeaux wine since.
The Bordeaux I drink daily costs around C$20 a bottle.
I also buy 1st Growths to age in my cellar for future consumption.
That would include Rothschild, Margeauu, and Haut Brion.
Also kept some 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th growths from quality vineyards.
From my point of view,
whatever wine you enjoy, is a good wine!
I've been enjoying Bordeaux wine since.
The Bordeaux I drink daily costs around C$20 a bottle.
I also buy 1st Growths to age in my cellar for future consumption.
That would include Rothschild, Margeauu, and Haut Brion.
Also kept some 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th growths from quality vineyards.
From my point of view,
whatever wine you enjoy, is a good wine!
75
Sophie's info on fermentation is correct. But her info on sugar in wine is quite wrong. The bureaucrats at the Dept of Agriculture obviously don't know much about wine either. But we winemakers do. Here in California, we measure sugar in grams/liter. Dry reds are typically considered dry at less than 1 gm/liter--or about .16 gram per glass of wine, if we consider a liter to be about 6 glasses of wine. Where the Dept of Ag gets its ".9 gram sugar per glass" figure is a mystery. And it is misleading to the consumer. For the truth about wine, journalists like Sophie Egan should ignore the data--usually wrong--and go to the source--winemakers.
208
Is this true of wines made in Europe and elsewhere?
11
Thank you Jeff Morgan. Will continue to have my daily dry reds with quality home cooked meals. All good.
14
Come to Ontario, where our government-owned Liquor Control Board (horrors!) lists the sugar content of wines on its retail store shelf labels.
204
2. Sugar is a "marker" for highly-processed foods
3. Cutting out sugar removes a lot of kilojoules/Calories. so
Remove the large amounts of sugar from your diet and don't worry about the little bits that make low-fat, high-fibre, foods palatable such as a sprinkle of brown sugar on porridge, a scrape of jam on grainy bread or a drizzle of honey on your unsweetened breakfast cereal. And don't stop eating fresh fruit. ....... http://weightlossclues.com/