Wine lifeWine & lifestyle
How much wine does it take to get drunk?
Honest answers from a sommelier, with the numbers from official health sources: what is in a glass and a bottle, why wine hits people differently, and how to enjoy it without overdoing it.
Updated October 2026
Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier
4 min read
The short answer: it depends on you and on the wine. A 750 ml bottle of 12% wine holds about five standard drinks. For a typical adult, four drinks for a woman or five for a man in about two hours brings blood alcohol to around 0.08%, the legal driving limit in most of the US, according to the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Many people feel the first effects after a single glass.
My job as a sommelier is to help people enjoy wine, and nobody enjoys wine drunk. So here are the facts, plainly, with their sources. I'm a sommelier, not a doctor: for anything about your health, ask a doctor.
What is in a glass and a bottle
| Serving | US standard drinks | UK units |
|---|---|---|
| 5 oz (148 ml) glass, 12% wine | 1 | About 1.8 |
| 175 ml glass, 12% wine | About 1.2 | 2.1 |
| 250 ml large glass, 12% wine | About 1.7 | 3 |
| 750 ml bottle, 12% wine | 5 | 9 |
| 750 ml bottle, 13.5% wine | About 5.7 | 10 |
- 5 oz (148 ml) glass, 12% wine
- US standard drinks1
- UK unitsAbout 1.8
- 175 ml glass, 12% wine
- US standard drinksAbout 1.2
- UK units2.1
- 250 ml large glass, 12% wine
- US standard drinksAbout 1.7
- UK units3
- 750 ml bottle, 12% wine
- US standard drinks5
- UK units9
- 750 ml bottle, 13.5% wine
- US standard drinksAbout 5.7
- UK units10
A US standard drink is 14 g of pure alcohol (NIAAA). A UK unit is 10 ml, or 8 g (NHS). Restaurant pours are often bigger than a standard drink, which is why glasses add up faster than people expect.
Why the same wine hits people differently
- Body size: the same wine in a smaller body means a higher alcohol level.
- Sex: on average, women have less water in the body, so the same amount has a stronger effect.
- Food: wine on an empty stomach is absorbed much faster than with a meal.
- Speed: three glasses over a long dinner is not three glasses in half an hour.
- The wine's strength: see below; the range is wider than most people think.
- Some medicines and tiredness can make alcohol hit harder.
How strong is your wine?
| Style | Typical alcohol |
|---|---|
| Moscato d'Asti | About 5–6% |
| German Riesling Kabinett | About 7–10% |
| Most white and rosé wines | About 11–13.5% |
| Most red wines | About 12.5–14.5% |
| Big reds such as Amarone or Zinfandel | 15% and more |
| Port | About 19–22% |
- Moscato d'Asti
- Typical alcoholAbout 5–6%
- German Riesling Kabinett
- Typical alcoholAbout 7–10%
- Most white and rosé wines
- Typical alcoholAbout 11–13.5%
- Most red wines
- Typical alcoholAbout 12.5–14.5%
- Big reds such as Amarone or Zinfandel
- Typical alcohol15% and more
- Port
- Typical alcoholAbout 19–22%
The alcohol is printed on every label. Read it: a 14.5% red has about 20% more alcohol than a 12% white.
Does red wine get you drunk faster?
Not because it is red. What counts is how much alcohol is in the glass, and many reds simply have a little more than many whites. Glass for glass, a light 11.5% red affects you less than a rich 14% white.
How I enjoy wine without overdoing it
- Eat while you drink. Wine was made for the table.
- Pace yourself. The NHS says the body needs about an hour to clear one unit.
- Drink water between glasses.
- Pour smaller. A good glass of wine doesn't need to be a big one.
- At tastings, spit. Sommeliers taste dozens of wines a day this way.
- Choose lighter styles when you want a long evening: Moscato d'Asti or a Kabinett Riesling.
The rules that matter
- Never drink and drive. The only safe amount before driving is none.
- Not during pregnancy. Health authorities advise no alcohol at all.
- The UK guideline is no more than 14 units a week, spread over several days (NHS).
- Worried about your drinking? Talk to a doctor, or see NIAAA's Rethinking Drinking.
Want to understand wine rather than just drink it? That is what my book Wine Easy is for.
Questions people ask
Can wine get you drunk?
Yes. Wine is an alcoholic drink: a 750 ml bottle of 12% wine holds about five US standard drinks.
How many glasses of wine does it take to feel tipsy?
It varies a lot from person to person. Many people feel the first effects after one glass, especially on an empty stomach.
Will a 750 ml bottle of wine get you drunk?
For most adults, yes: a bottle is about five standard drinks, more than the four or five in two hours that NIAAA says typically brings blood alcohol to 0.08%.
How long does wine stay in your system?
The NHS says the body clears about one unit an hour, so a bottle of 13.5% wine (10 units) takes roughly ten hours. Coffee and cold showers don't speed it up; only time does.
For wine lovers · next steps