🍷 Dosage

Dosage is the addition to sparkling wine after disgorgement. It determines the sweetness of the finished wine. What is added is the liqueur d'expédition, a mix of wine and sugar.

After the second fermentation in the bottle and removal of the sediment, the wine is dry, as the yeast has already eaten the sugar. To set the desired sweetness, a liqueur with sugar is added to the bottle. The more there is, the sweeter the wine. Dosage is done in the traditional method, and the sweetness category is stated on the label. The most common are Brut Nature (0-3 g/L sugar), Extra Brut (0-6), Brut (up to 12), Extra Dry (12-17), Sec (17-32), Demi-Sec (32-50) and Doux (over 50).

Brut is the best-known style and is very popular in Champagne. Dosage affects taste and balance: a little sugar softens acidity. Some producers release wine with zero dosage, which is Brut Nature. After dosage, the bottle is corked and a muselet is fitted. Dosage is the last important step, after disgorgement and before packaging. For the buyer, the word on the label hints at the taste to expect, from very dry to dessert-style.