Is Port Wine Acidic or Alkaline?
Port wine (prepared) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Port wine comes to −1.9 per 100 ml, which makes it slightly alkaline. Potassium from the grapes stays in the wine, and there is hardly any protein to offset it. Alcohol and residual sugar don't count. A 50 ml glass with cheese gives about −1, which offsets only a small part of a piece of blue cheese. At 161 kcal per 100 ml, it is rich.
In the Drinks category, port wine (prepared) ranks #15 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Espresso (−1.9), Cider (−2.0), Coffee, with milk (3.5%) (−2.2). More acid-forming are Apple juice (−1.8), Grape juice (−1.8), Mulled wine (−1.7).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is port wine acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Port wine (prepared) has a PRAL of −1.9 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much port wine do I need for a noticeable effect?
A glass (200 ml) of port wine adds −3.8 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of port wine roughly offsets one of them.
Why is port wine alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Port wine provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.9).
Port Wine logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Drinks: Drinks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.