By the Grappi team · Updated November 2026 · 6 min read
The lowest-sugar wines are the dry ones: a dry red, a dry white or a Brut Nature sparkling typically carries under 1 to 2 grams of sugar per glass, because fermentation turns the grape sugar into alcohol. The words to hunt for on the label are Dry, Brut, Extra Brut and Brut Nature. Here is how much sugar is really in your glass, by style, and how to choose a genuinely low-sugar bottle.
What is the lowest sugar wine?
Brut Nature sparkling wine tops the list, often with close to zero sugar, because nothing is added at the final stage. Dry reds and dry whites follow close behind at about 1 to 2 grams per glass.
The reason is simple. During fermentation, yeast eats the grape sugar and converts it to alcohol, so the drier the finished wine, the less sugar is left behind.
Style, not colour, sets the sugar: a dry wine leaves 1 to 2 grams a glass, while a sweet dessert wine holds many times that.
Sugar in wine by style
Style, not colour, is what sets the sugar. Here is roughly what each level holds per 5-ounce glass.
Style
Sugar per glass
Notes
Brut Nature sparkling
~0 to 1 g
No sugar added at the end; the driest of all
Dry red
~0.5 to 1.5 g
Cabernet, Syrah, most still reds
Dry white
~1 to 2 g
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, dry Chardonnay
Off-dry
~5 to 15 g
Many rosés, off-dry Riesling
Sweet (Moscato, sweet Riesling)
~30 to 60 g+
Clearly sweet on the palate
Dessert and fortified (Port, Sauternes)
Very high
Made to be sweet; treat as a small pour
How to read the label for sugar
Most bottles do not print grams of sugar, so you read the style words instead. For sparkling, the scale from driest to sweetest is Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux.
For still wine, look for "Dry" and avoid "sweet", "off-dry", "late harvest" and "dessert". A handful of producers now publish sugar figures on their websites, which is the surest check of all.
Most labels skip the grams, so read the style words: Dry, Brut, Extra Brut and Brut Nature all point to low sugar.
Low sugar is not the same as low calorie
This trips up a lot of people. Wine's calories come mostly from alcohol, which carries about 7 calories per gram, so a bone-dry, high-strength red can be low in sugar yet still fairly calorific.
If you are counting sugar, go by the dry-to-sweet scale. If you are counting calories, check the alcohol percentage too. See our guide to calories in a bottle of red wine for the numbers.
Not sure whether a bottle is dry or sweet? Scan the label with Grappi and it reads the grape and style in seconds, so you can tell a crisp, dry, low-sugar wine from a sweet one before you buy.
The driest styles to pick
For a genuinely low-sugar glass, reach for a dry red like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, a dry white like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, or a Brut Nature Cava or Champagne. All three are reliably low, and all are easy to find.
A dry red, a dry white or a Brut Nature sparkling is a reliably low-sugar glass, and every one of them is easy to find.
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Brut Nature and Extra Brut sparkling wines usually have the least, often close to zero grams per glass, followed by dry reds and dry whites at roughly 1 to 2 grams. The drier the wine, the less sugar is left after fermentation.
Is dry wine sugar free?
Almost, but not quite. A dry wine has had nearly all of its grape sugar fermented into alcohol, leaving around 1 to 2 grams per glass. Brut Nature sparkling is the closest to genuinely sugar free, with no sugar added at the end.
How much sugar is in a glass of red wine?
A dry red has about 1 to 2 grams of sugar per 5-ounce glass. Off-dry and sweet reds have much more, so the number depends entirely on style, not colour. Dry is what keeps it low.
Does Brut mean low sugar?
Yes. On sparkling wine, Brut means dry, with low sugar, and the scale goes even lower through Extra Brut to Brut Nature, which has none added. Sweeter steps are Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux.
Is Pinot Grigio low in sugar?
Usually, yes. Most Pinot Grigio is made in a dry style with roughly 1 to 2 grams of sugar per glass, which makes it one of the reliable low-sugar whites. Always check for the word "dry" if you are unsure.
What is the best low sugar wine for keto or low carb?
Dry reds, dry whites and Brut or Extra Brut sparkling are the go-to choices, since their sugar and carbohydrate are both very low. Avoid off-dry, sweet and dessert wines, which carry far more sugar.
Does low sugar wine mean low calorie?
No. The calories in wine come mostly from alcohol, not sugar, so a dry, high-alcohol wine can be low in sugar yet still fairly calorific. If calories are the goal, look at the alcohol percentage too.
How can I tell how much sugar is in a wine?
The label rarely lists grams, because producers are not required to. Use the style words instead: Dry, Brut, Extra Brut and Brut Nature signal low sugar, while Sec, Demi-Sec, late harvest and dessert signal high. Some producers publish figures online.
Is red or white wine lower in sugar?
Neither wins by colour. A dry red and a dry white are both low, around 1 to 2 grams per glass. What decides sugar is how dry the wine is, so a sweet white and a sweet red are both high.
