Sugar in Wine? Check Your Latte First.

We often fixate on “sugar in wine” as if it’s a dire dietary culprit, but the comparison is rarely fair. 

By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine Chronicles 

24 November 2025

While tasting excellent wines from Domaine Wach in Northern Alsace, co-owner Jessica Ouellet – wife of seventh generation owner Pierre Wach – explained to me the residual sugar levels. Of course we wine (geek) writers like to know such details. 

But this brought up a discussion about current wine consumption trends, the emphasis on healthy eating lifestyles.  And one thing that strikes me as absurd is when people say “wine also has sugar”.  

Especially when we talk about Alsace, because relatively high acidity levels in Alsatian Rieslings need to be balanced by residual sugars: so, for example, while enjoying the superb Domaine Wach Grand Cru Wiebelsberg Riesling 2023 vintage, I noted the 6.6 g/L of acidity, which gave it backbone, structure and vivacity – with the balancing 3 g of residual sugar per liter making sense: the wine was not at all “sweet”. By the same token, the even more wet-stone mineral-driven Grand Cru Kastelberg Riesling 2023 vintage had a whopping 7.1 g of acidity per liter, with the same balancing 3 g of sugar per liter. The last impression I got from trying that wine was sweet…  

So when Jessica brought up Starbucks coffee and how people love to top their “coffees” with elaborate sugar infested additives but might express concern about sugar in wine, well, that struck a cord! 🙂

Basically, a standard glass of dry wine contains roughly 1 gram of sugar, whereas a typical coffeehouse drink, say, a flavored latte loaded with syrup, whipped cream, and toppings can exceed 30–50 grams of sugar in one cup. 

The same applies to bottled iced teas, energy drinks, and many “wellness” beverages that market themselves as healthy but contain substantial sugar.

A single can of soda packs around 39 grams. Even wines with perceptible sweetness, say 6 g/L of residual sugar, remain relatively low compared to common beverages many people consume without hesitation.

So, yes, wine can contain residual sugar, but even a bottle with 6 g/L is hardly high, especially when measured against everyday alternatives. 

The conversation should be less about demonizing wine and more about perspective: not all sugar sources are equal, and wine, particularly dry wine, is a comparatively low-sugar choice.