Wine vs beer? This age-old debate has become incredibly dull since the answer is abundantly clear. The fact that wine just tastes better than beer goes without saying, so we’ve not included that as one of our reasons.
However, if you’re on the cusp of switching from beer to wine, but aren’t sure why you should drink wine over beer, we have 5 awesome reasons to tempt you to make the leap.
Is beer more fattening than wine?
This wine vs beer weight loss debate we can solve easily. One pint of lager has the same alcohol content (roughly) as a medium-sized glass of wine, which is approximately 2-3 British units. However, the speed at which you become inebriated depends on the speed at which the alcohol enters your bloodstream.
Spirits enter your bloodstream the quickest, followed by wine, followed by beer. Meaning that a glass of wine will go to your head quicker than a pint of beer. In order to feel the effects of the alcohol from the lager, you will need to consume twice as many pints of lager than the person drinking a glass of wine.
Now, when it comes to calories in alcohol, beer outstrips the rest of its compadres – one pint of beer has 50% more calories than a glass of wine. If we count the overall calories in a bottle of wine the results still go very much in your favour.
How many calories in a bottle of white wine can you find?
So, interested in finding out about calories in a bottle of white wine? Take into notice that there are 120 calories per 5 fl oz serving. Your favourite Sauvignon Blanc has 120 calories per 5 fl oz serving while Chardonnay has 123 calories per 5 fl oz serving. If you are drinking Champagne there are 114 calories per 5 fl oz serving, and if you drink Prosecco, count on only 99 calories per 5 fl oz serving.
Wondering how many calories in a glass of red wine you intake? Count on 125 calories, and only 105 calories per 5 fl oz serving if you are drinking rose wine. So, if each pint has 50% more calories, and you’re drinking two pints compared to every one glass of wine your buddy is, your belly is going to outgrow theirs at an alarming rate.
To conclude, beer bellies aren’t sexy.
That is not all, dry red wine for example has the lowest amount of sugar in wine. Still, each dry wine (both white and red) is low sugar wine and still a perfect fit if you take care of your weight and tonus.
Is wine healthier than beer?
Dieticians compared the 5 healthiest alcohols you should be drinking, and red wine is top of the list – followed by champagne and tequila, and let’s be fair, unless you’re an 18-year-old living in Magaluf, tequila is not going to be something you imbibe regularly.
We seem to have it ingrained in our psyche that alcohol automatically equals unhealthy, but study after study keeps dispelling that myth. Drinking alcohol isn’t always unhealthy (when done in moderation) and certain types of alcohol actually offer some surprising health benefits. Health benefits of wine have been explored and documented extensively in research.
We also discussed how resveratrol in wine can help protect against the onset of type-2 diabetes, how it can boost cardiovascular health, how it can slow the ageing process and how it can tackle acne. Moreover, red wine as low sugar wine is more than recommended wine for diabetics.
So, if you are going to sup on alcohol and you’re concerned about your health, natural wines are one of the healthiest forms of alcohol you could choose.
Among natural wines you can also find low alcohol wines. That is one more win for wine in the wine vs beer debate, don’t you agree?
Is there a better combination than wine and cheese?
There are some truly fantastic food pairings out there: salt and vinegar, sushi and pickled ginger, beef and horseradish, ham and pickle, and wine and cheese.
Whoever heard of a beer and cheese party? No one, because it doesn’t work.
Why?
The theory is that astringent and fatty foods oppose each other so well that they actually create a balanced mouthfeel. Cheese is fatty and it coats the mouth making it feel oily and slippery; wine, on the other hand, is astringent, it dries your mouth out.
Combine that cheese bite with a wine chaser and the astringent compounds in the wine, the tannins that naturally dry your mouth out as they bind with the lubricant proteins in your saliva, counter the oily cheese feel, harmoniously restoring the balance of your mouth, and leaving you wanting to experience more. If you are a morning type, find your best breakfast wine.
You don’t get that with beer. With beer you get bloated.
We know which food goes with each wine. Be sure to check out our wine and food pairing lists:
Bonus tip: If you want to make this whole experience vegan-friendly, do not worry, because thanks to our offer of vegan wines – you can create a stunning vegan feast too.
Switching from beer to wine on dates
This is one that is purely socially driven, but think about it:
Would you go on a first date and knockback 10 pints as if you were out on a night with the lads? No, you’d order a bottle of wine and pretend to have some decorum.
Would you order beer after a hearty meal to pair it with a tasty dessert? No, you’d order a glass of fortified wine to enjoy it.
And don’t get us started about how photogenic wine is for all those who enjoy taking photos of their food and drinks. We cannot think of anything nicer looking on Instagram than a glass of sparkling or orange wines. Who wouldn’t press the like button?
And if this is not enough:
Do you drink wine or beer in church?
What about toasts? Do you make toasts with champagne or beer?
Do you take a bottle of wine to someone’s house for supper or a 6 pack of beer?
Case in point.
Free tip: if you are switching from beer to wine, learning how to open a bottle of wine without a bottle opener comes in handy. 🙂
Red wine vs beer debate: Is red wine better than beer?
Well, wine gets better with age, unlike most beers. Sure you can consume your wine as soon as your front door slams shut behind you, but in some cases, if you lay it down, its taste will come on in leaps and bounds. You can’t say that about beer. The tannins, the chemicals found in grapes that are used to make the wine, can give the wine a bitter taste if the wine is too young when it is drunk.
If however, you let the same wine rest quietly in a cool, dark room for a few years, those tannins work hard to transform from a spikey bitter encounter to a silky smooth experience. Think punk rock versus Frank Sinatra. Totally worth the wait.
Beer? The beer just goes off.
If you however want to remain neutral and cherish both of these lovely drinks, you have our support. Choose the occasion, food and adjust your drink accordingly. Before you go, check out our rich selection of craft beers and ciders.
Bonus tip: How long does red wine last once opened? Find out.
If you love what you see, you can get our monthly wine subscription and enjoy different wine, beers and ciders each month delivered at your door. And if you want to explore the world of wine a bit more, to learn what is fortified wine, to find out more about wine additives etc, make sure to follow our blog. You won’t be disappointed by the amount of information you will discover.