Written by: Tim Edison

Updated: May 11, 2023

How Many Drinks are in a 10-Ounce Glass of Wine?

How Many Drinks Are In A 10-Ounce Glass Of Wine?

A lot of people wonder how many drinks they have to look forward to in their much anticipated glass of wine.

It is a tale many of us know the words to by heart and a thought that circles around in our heads in admitted curiosity for what we want to know in order to make better choices for our wine sampling. How many drinks are in a 10-ounce glass of wine?

This is especially true for anybody who is generally inquisitive by nature and wants to expand their knowledge to more thoroughly enjoy their glass with the best understanding they can have.

Whether for reasons of savoring your wine and to try to cling to the last drop or because you just want to gather as much information about your favorite beverage as you can, most of us can relate to wanting to know the answer on some level.

This crucial detail of wine drinking can be dismissed as unimportant but the amount of wine in your glass and how many drinks that makes is a key element of your experience as a wine taster.

It, quite literally, determines what you get in your glass and how it will be presented. Today we are here to give you the answer to this dire question you’ve been dying to know.


How Many Drinks are in a 10-Ounce Glass of Wine?

A ten ounce glass of wine is the average size served to most drinkers and provides enough refreshment for the likes of anyone excitedly ready to delve into their next glass.

Most drinks consist of one hundred and fifty milliliters of wine which roughly converts to five ounces.

This means that in one ten ounce glass there are approximately two drinks for the user to have the satisfaction of enjoying.

It is an easily agreed upon number that has went from the top of the wine tasters pyramid all the way down to the average person.

These numbers are not set in stone by any means and quite a few different variables cause a different average of drinks the consumer will get and ounces that will be prepared.

For example, places like restaurants will serve over the five ounce wine glass number in one drink for quality purposes and to please their customer by giving them more bang for their buck.

The average wine drink served at restaurants is roughly one hundred and eighty milliliters or, rounded to the nearest whole number, six ounces. 

Small details like this can lower your number of drinks from two down to approximately one-point-six. 


Why Does it Matter?

The amount of wine in your drink contributes to a number of other factors as well. While all wines differ in a number of ways, changing the portion size will affect things like alcohol content and calories. 

Studies have shown that a five ounce glass of red wine has on average one hundred and twenty five calories.

Though calories are conflicting from wine to wine for a few reasons like alcohol and sugar.

A dry wine is considered to have the least amount of calories due to its lessening of the alcohol content while sweeter wines, as a rule of thumb, have the most calories due to their increased amount of sugar. 

When it comes to alcohol content the average glass of wine, remembering the five ounce drink size, contains up to twelve percent alcohol.

These stats also vary from wine to wine. Your favorite wine may contain up to eleven percent alcohol and have a more spicy taste.

Another may contain only eight percent and have a sweeter aftertaste. Wine is considered to have more alcohol content than beer but less than hard liquor. If you’re unsure of your alcohol content percentage than check the label of your bottle for more details on the topic.

Most wines will have a list of ingredients and alcohol content levels on them to allow for easy access for the consumer.

This is important to keep in mind when increasing your consumption. A greater intake will increase all the numbers illustrated here. But the same can be said for a lesser intake which will decrease the alcohol and calorie numbers.

It’s a game of give and take that requires the perfect juggling act from the drinker. It is up to you to decide what amount of wine works best for you.

The issue of crystal versus glass is one to take into consideration when discussing how a wine glass affects the wine drinking experience and intake.

Crystal glasses are seen as the ideal way to drink wine but the prices are a lot more expensive than that of regular glass. Crystal glasses are considered more fragile and break easier than their glass counterparts.

Glass has been shown to be the most lightweight of the two which has its draws for some. But a glass option tends to detract from the flavor and discourages adding more to the bowl of the wine glass.

This is why wine drinkers often drink less wine in a glass container than a crystal one.

In addition you may also want to drink more wine to prevent an expiration or waste of your precious cargo. Expiring wine is no good for anyone and you may want to avoid this at all costs.

Feelings of sadness at the thought of losing the quality of your favorite wine may spring up. It may lead you to decide to drink more than you normally would to finish off the rest.

Adding more to your cup to finish off a glass will result in the increase in portion size and all that comes with it from increased alcohol content to increased calories.

Tip: if you want to avoid this mishap make sure to keep your wine in a nice cool place and take steps to preserve it like keeping the cap or cork on it when not being poured.


What About Bigger Wine Glasses?

Wine glass size and design can also contribute to how much you drink in a single portion too.

The design provides a more visual representation of how much wine you have in your glass with the clear exterior. You may see the wine in the glass and not think it looks like as much as it is.

Besides that though, the size itself, no matter appearance of the wine in the glass, might influence your serving size.

A bigger or wider glass might encourage you to add a little extra to your drink. On the other hand, a smaller glass could discourage this kind of action and make you opt for less than normal.

The average wine glass varies from glass to glass depending on the kind of wine it is designed for. Some wine glasses, like the rose wine glass, are wider at the base of the bowl than others.

An example of a slimmer option is a champagne flute which, while thinner in width, is also taller than the rose wine glass.

There are many aspects to your glass of wine and average portions for drinks in a ten ounce glass are just one of them.

Wine glass size, the material your glass is made from, and avoidance of an expiration date all contribute to a person’s choices on how much to either serve themselves to be served by others.


Final Thoughts

Overall two five ounce glasses of two may not sound like a lot but many experts and professionals agree it is the perfect amount for the standard person to consume in a single sitting.

Five ounce glasses of wine have a number of advantages from less calories to the way the portion makes it easier to swirl the wine in your glass to capture the aroma and flavor.

With all this in mind these sizes are still enough for you to get the taste profile of the wine you are drinking. Many critics and professionals have generally come to a consensus about these characteristics of the best wine serving size.

Now you know how many drinks are in a ten ounce glass of wine. You also know how different variables of wine, setting, and container affect a person’s choice of how much to drink in a single sitting.

For a ten ounce glass, the ideal serving size for your wine is in two glasses with increments of five ounces. It provides the wine consumer with the ability to enjoy their wine and the taste and bouquet without any regret and with the notion of being knowledgeable about their wine choices.

When you go to buy your next ten ounce wine glass, keep in mind all of this information to make an informed and engaged choice.

Refer back to these numbers when unsure of how much wine you’re looking to drink and let them allow you to make a well-rounded decision when it comes to the drinking decisions you make for yourself.

Try out this formula when grabbing your next drink of wine for the optimal glass with a mix of lasting capabilities and an avoidance of too much being served.

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About the Author Tim Edison


Tim started Wine Turtle way back in 2015.
These days he contributes to Wine Turtle (and other renowned wine publications) while continuing his wine education.
Tim's wine of the month is the Coates & Seely Reserve Brut NV (from Hampshire, England).

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