A large, or 250ml, glass of wine with 13 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) can contain 228 calories, similar to an ice cream or two fish fingers. Photo: Cathal McNaughton/PA Wire

A British retailer is launching calorie labelling on wine as part of efforts to help consumers make ‘responsible’ health choices.

Sainsbury’s will launch the new labels, which will include the number of calories in a 125ml glass, this week starting with 20 of its own-brand bottles.

A study for the supermarket found 85 per cent of consumers do not know how many calories are in the average glass of wine and 63 per cent do not consider wine when counting up their total calorie intake.

The research also revealed that while 74 per cent of adults know their recommended daily calorie intake, 58 per cent do not know the guidelines for daily alcohol consumption.

The charity Drinkaware says a large, or 250ml, glass of wine with 13 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) can contain 228 calories, similar to an ice cream or two fish fingers.

The study for Sainsbury’s found two in three consumers (66 per cent) would like to see calorie labelling on alcohol, with 62 per cent saying they limit their alcohol consumption in a bid to be healthier and 44 per cent reporting that they try to limit their drinking in an effort to manage their weight.

Sainsbury’s Responsible Drinking Steering Group chairwoman Helen Buck said: “It is clear from our research that shoppers are confused regarding the calories in alcohol.

“We hope that by clearly displaying this information on the bottle, we’ll be able to help our customers to make responsible choices more easily.”

Sainsbury’s said it would continue rolling out calorie labelling throughout this year and next year.