Why don't wine bottles have the Nutrition Fact labels on them that just about every other food and drink in the US contain?

People are naturally curious about what they eat and drink. In the US, people have become used to the FDA requiring labels on all prepared foods, listing calories, amount of iron and calcium, potential allergens, you name it. Some people would even like to see these charts taped onto their apples and cabbages, and provided for their wine, beer and vodka. We're not quite at that stage yet, but here is the basic information on a glass of wine.

Wine is of course made from grapes. The winemakers simply add yeast to the grapes in a large vat. The yeast eats the natural sugars in the grapes and drinks in oxygen. During this process it creates alcohol (ethanol, actually) and carbon dioxide. In the end, the sugar is gone, and all that remains is lots of water, some alcohol, and bits of flavor. This is what fermentation is!

In the US, alcoholic products don't need to be labelled with the full nutritional ingredient information. That's because the FDA only covers *foods*, not alcohol. Alcohol is regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms, or BATF.

In fact, the FDA's nutritional label requirements are only for *prepared* foods. They do not cover foods served in their natural form. The FDA site says:

This FDA Food Labeling web site addresses the labeling requirements for foods under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and its amendments. Food labeling is required for most prepared foods, such as breads, cereals, canned and frozen foods, snacks, desserts, drinks, etc. Nutrition labeling for raw produce (fruits and vegetables) and fish is voluntary. We refer to these products as "conventional" foods.
FDA Website

If you want to learn more about what is in wine, and its nutritional, carbohydrate and caloric values, read below!

Note:

A great deal of research and work went into my wine / health pages. If you use this information, please credit me properly. Thanks!

Wine and Health



All content on the WineIntro website is personally written by author and wine enthusiast Lisa Shea. WineIntro explores the delicious variety and beautiful history which makes up our world of wine! Lisa loves supporting local wineries and encouraging people to drink whatever they like. We all have different taste buds, and that makes our world wonderful. Always drink responsibly.