A 75cl bottle of wine at 12% ABV contains 9 UK units, and one at 14% contains 10.5. To work it out, multiply the ABV by the volume in millilitres and divide by 1,000. Drinks House 247 suggests checking the ABV on the label, because wine ranges from about 11% to 15%.
Units are the UK's way of measuring how much pure alcohol is in a drink. They are useful because they cut through the confusion of different glass sizes and strengths: a large glass of a strong red and a small glass of a light white look similar, but can contain very different amounts of alcohol.
One UK unit is 10ml, or 8g, of pure alcohol. That is roughly the amount an average adult's body can process in about an hour, although this varies considerably from person to person. A unit is the same regardless of the drink it comes in: 25ml of a 40% spirit, half a pint of 3.5% beer and a little under 85ml of a 12% wine each contain about one unit.
Multiply the strength of the drink (its ABV, as a percentage) by the volume in millilitres, then divide by 1,000.
Units = ABV × volume in ml ÷ 1,000
For a 75cl bottle of 13% wine: 13 × 750 ÷ 1,000 = 9.75 units. For a 175ml glass of the same wine: 13 × 175 ÷ 1,000 = 2.3 units.
| ABV | Bottle (750ml) | Small glass (125ml) | Medium glass (175ml) | Large glass (250ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11% | 8.3 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.8 |
| 12% | 9.0 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| 13% | 9.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
| 14% | 10.5 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| 15% | 11.3 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.8 |
Figures are rounded to one decimal place. A large 250ml glass is a third of a bottle, which is why it adds up so quickly.
Because units measure alcohol rather than volume, they make different drinks easy to compare. A pint of 4% beer contains about 2.3 units, the same as a medium 175ml glass of 13% wine. A single 25ml measure of a 40% spirit contains 1 unit, and a 125ml glass of 12% champagne contains 1.5. A bottle of 13% wine shared between two people is roughly the same as each person drinking two pints of 4% beer.
Most wine sits between 11% and 15% ABV, and the strength depends mainly on how ripe the grapes were:
The ABV is always printed on the label, and many UK labels also show the number of units in the bottle and in a standard glass.
A magnum holds 1.5 litres, twice a standard bottle, so a 12% magnum contains 18 units. A half bottle of 37.5cl at 12% contains 4.5 units. The formula works for any size.
The UK Chief Medical Officers' guideline for both men and women is not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. If you do drink that much, it is best spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days each week. Fourteen units is about six medium 175ml glasses of 13% wine, or a little under one and a half bottles of 13% wine across a week.
Units are also a helpful way to keep track at a party or dinner, where top-ups make it easy to lose count. Knowing that a bottle of 13.5% red shared between two people is about five units each makes it easier to pace an evening.
There is no reliable way to use units to work out whether you are under the drink-drive limit. Alcohol affects everyone differently, depending on weight, sex, age, metabolism, food and more. The only safe approach is not to drink at all if you are driving, and to remember that alcohol can still be in your system the following morning.
A 75cl bottle at 12% ABV contains 9 units; at 13% it contains 9.75, and at 14% it contains 10.5. Multiply the ABV by 750 and divide by 1,000 for any bottle.
At 13% ABV, a 125ml glass contains about 1.6 units, a 175ml glass about 2.3 units and a 250ml glass about 3.3 units.
Multiply the ABV by the volume in millilitres and divide by 1,000. For example, 175ml of 12% wine is 12 × 175 ÷ 1,000, which is 2.1 units.
The UK Chief Medical Officers advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days.
See how many glasses are in a bottle of champagne and how many drinks a bottle of spirits makes, and read our guide on how to drink responsibly. Browse red wine or see how wine delivery works across London.
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