How many units in a bottle of wine?
The UK unit count for any bottle, from its size and ABV, using the NHS formula.
A standard 750 ml bottle of 13% wine contains 9.8 UK units — about 70% of the 14-unit weekly low-risk guideline in a single bottle. Weaker 12% wine gives you 9 units; a 14% bottle is 10.5.
Wine bottles don't carry a single unit figure because strength varies
so much. The number of units in a bottle of wine
depends on two things: how much liquid is in the bottle, and how
strong it is. A UK unit is fixed at 10 mL (8 g) of pure alcohol, so
the sum is just volume × ABV ÷ 1000. Change either input
above and the count updates.
| ABV | Typical wine | Units per bottle | Share of weekly 14 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11% | Light white, Vinho Verde | 8.3 | 59% |
| 12% | Pinot Grigio, Chablis | 9.0 | 64% |
| 12.5% | Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc | 9.4 | 67% |
| 13% | Merlot, Chianti | 9.8 | 70% |
| 13.5% | Rioja, Malbec | 10.1 | 72% |
| 14% | Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon | 10.5 | 75% |
| 15% | Zinfandel, Amarone | 11.3 | 80% |
| Bottle | Volume | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Piccolo (single serve) | 187 mL | 2.4 |
| Half bottle | 375 mL | 4.9 |
| Standard bottle | 750 mL | 9.8 |
| Magnum | 1,500 mL | 19.5 |
What a bottle of wine means against the weekly guideline
The UK Chief Medical Officers advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week. A single 750 mL bottle of 13% wine uses roughly 70% of that on its own, which surprises most people the first time they run the numbers, and it is the main reason the bottle-versus-glass distinction matters.
The guidance has a second half that gets quoted less often: spread those units across three or more days, and keep several drink-free days in the week. Fourteen units in one sitting is not the same risk profile as fourteen units spread across a week, even though the total is identical.
Because one unit is roughly what an average adult clears per hour, a 9.8-unit bottle takes something like ten hours to process. Finish one at 11pm and there can still be alcohol in your system at the morning commute. The BAC calculator on this site models that curve, though it is an educational estimator, never a fitness-to-drive test.
How this calculator works
The math: units = volume (mL) × ABV ÷ 1000. A "unit" here is the UK unit, defined by the NHS as 10 mL or 8 g of pure alcohol. The weekly-share figure compares the total against the UK Chief Medical Officers' 14-unit low-risk guideline, which is a guideline, not a threshold below which drinking carries no risk.
Full formulas and citations live on the methodology page.
Units in a bottle of wine: questions people ask
How many units are in a bottle of red wine?
Red wine typically runs 13 to 14.5% ABV, so a 750 mL bottle comes to roughly 9.8 to 10.9 units. Big New World reds at 15% reach 11.3 units in a single bottle.
How many units are in a bottle of white wine?
White wine is usually a little weaker than red, commonly 11.5 to 13% ABV. That puts a 750 mL bottle at about 8.6 to 9.8 units. A crisp 11% white is 8.3 units per bottle.
How many glasses are in a bottle of wine?
A 750 mL bottle holds six 125 mL small glasses, roughly four 175 mL medium glasses, or three 250 mL large glasses. A single large glass is about a third of a bottle. The units in a glass of wine page breaks each pour size down.
Is a bottle of wine a week too much?
One 750 mL bottle of 13% wine is 9.8 units, which sits inside the UK low-risk guideline of no more than 14 units a week. The guidance also suggests spreading those units over three or more days rather than drinking them in one sitting, and keeping several drink-free days each week.
How long does it take to process a bottle of wine?
One UK unit is roughly what an average adult clears in an hour, so a 9.8-unit bottle takes about ten hours to leave your system. That is why a bottle finished late in the evening can still leave alcohol in your blood the next morning.
Are UK units the same as US standard drinks?
No. A UK unit is 8 g of pure alcohol; a US standard drink is 14 g. The same 750 mL bottle of 13% wine is 9.8 UK units but only 5.5 US standard drinks. Use the standard drinks calculator for the US figure.