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New research suggests that adults could hit the recommended daily intake of sugar after consuming just two glasses of wine.

Research conducted by the Alcohol Health Alliance UK found that some bottles of wine contain almost 60g of sugar. This equates to the same sugar content as a glazed doughnut.

As part of the study, an independent laboratory analysed the sugar content of more than 30 bottles of wine, including white, red, rose, sparkling and fruit wines from leading UK-based brands. The team found that drinking two medium-sized glasses of some of the wines was sufficient to reach the daily recommended intake of sugar.

None of the wines involved in the study had nutrition labels and only one-fifth had information about calorie content. There is currently no legislation that requires producers to provide this data.

Campaigners have urged the government to introduce new measures, which would provide consumers with information about calorie and sugar content.

NHS guidelines recommend a maximum daily intake of 30g of free sugars. Free sugars are sugars that are added to food and drinks, rather than those found naturally within food products.

The study revealed that some of the lower strength wines, which may be viewed as a healthier alternative, contain the most sugar.

A YouGov poll from 2021 suggested that most people would like wine bottles to carry labels. Over 60% of those polled said they would prefer to be able to see calorie content on bottles and more than half wanted to see information about sugar content.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, called the current labelling laws “absurd” and said that it made no sense that consumers have access to nutritional information when buying milk or orange juice but no such luxury when purchasing alcoholic drinks. He claimed that failing to provide such information was damaging due to the fact that these products are “fuelling obesity” and increasing the risk of “widespread health harms.”